Some see the end of high school as a glorious day, one of relief and elation. For so long, we have weathered the harshness of school buses, blacktop bullies, and the ever-irritating homework assignments. We have battled teachers and staff, ditched security guards, and bargained for grades. Being relieved of the burden must be freeing, it must be amazing.
I think otherwise, however. Reality will begin to set in. The graduees who have longed for this graduation day start to understand that the little responsibility they carried is nothing compared to the level they will soon encounter.
Everything will change. All those people who believed they would be friends forever realize that forever comes a lot sooner than you expect. For some, bills come their way. For some, the military knocks and steals them away. Others will head to college, and others to foreign places.
Those last precious days will be filled with excitement and naivity, and they will be precious. Yet, when we realize that these are the last days of being someone or somebody, having a reputation and status, and being part of a community like one we will never encounter again, these tears of happiness will fade quickly into tears of sadness and reminiscence.
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