Graduation day
Sarah graduated from high school today. I was and am, as you might expect, incredibly proud of her, though far more because she's a great person than because she graduated. Scott played in the orchestra at various points during the event, a thankless job, and I was and am very proud of him, too.
The most touching part of the ceremony was when each senior took a yellow rose and presented it to her or his mother. Even though I obviously didn't get a rose (I did get a hug), I found the sight of all these young people hugging and thanking their mothers to be quite moving.
This was Sarah's day, so for me to write more about it seems inappropriate.
Except for this: I did get something unexpected from it. I've been exhausted of late, very stressed, and more than a little bit down. I'm also quite overweight, which is both a product of and a cause of those other issues, a bad feedback loop if ever I've had one. As I listened to the speakers today, students and adults alike, I realized yet again, as I apparently must do from time to time, that for all of us, not just those young women and men, every day is a graduation from what has come before into the opportunities and challenges ahead, from who we are right now into the people we want to be. It doesn't matter how old we are; we all have the chance to launch ourselves into new things each and every day. I think it's time for me to get busy doing so.
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6 comments:
We do not have the Graduation ceremony from Secondary School as we don't graduate. Our system has people leaving at different levels.It does sound rather moving.
RE: stressed out, exhausted, depressed and overweight. Done that. Stress is physical, not psychological. If you have good willpower you can push on through it until your body breaks down. I only stopped when my kidneys failed.
John Lambshead
I think stress is both physical and psychological. My challenge is to change both my perspective and my life enough to lessen it to acceptable levels.
Congrats to your daughter and your family. Sounds like she has a very promising future. Get moving on making things better. I am 49 years old and on 4/8/09 had quadruple heart bypass surgery. Doing better now but would not want anyone to go through it. A little exercise. watching what I eat and no smoking are making things better. Please take care of yourself both for yourself and your family. All the best and keep up the good work with the books.......Chris......
Thanks for the cautionary tale and the good wishes. I am working on it.
What a beautifully written last paragraph. We should certainly look at each tomorrow as a blessing and an opportunity to better both ourselves and the world around us.
Thanks for the kind words.
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