Last week’s edition of the Catholic Herald dedicated a good chunk of its space to recognizing those who were graduating from various grade levels at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison.
Before I go any further, I want to congratulate all of this year’s graduates, their families, and their schools. These last couple of years are certainly ones that you won’t forget.
My own graduations
From when the material started coming in here about the graduates, to looking at the April 13 issue of the paper, my thoughts naturally have been turning to my own graduations, especially on the day I am writing this — May 14, the 15th anniversary of my commencement exercises at UW-Madison.
Prior to that, I had two other graduations: From grade school at Two Rivers Catholic Central School in Two Rivers, Wis. (no longer a school) and from high school at Washington High School in Two Rivers (no longer in the same building and with a different name). Luckily my university alma mater is still standing.
These three graduations marked significant turning points in my life.
It was easy to accept this because the following fall, I’d be in different buildings and be seeing different people on a regular basis.
After all of these, there was a definite feeling of “nothing would ever be the same again”.
In all of these instances, I was occupying the only world I knew and anything in the future could only be visioned based on past experiences or pure imagination.
High school didn’t end up being anything like I’d imagined before I was actually in that time and space and it was the same with college and the early post-college years.
Were these respective “post-graduate” times better or worse than I’d imagined? Yes.
No matter what, I had no choice but the trudge on ahead and go forward. There was nowhere to return to. I had graduated. Those days in the past were over.
Still graduating?
Unless you’re going the master’s, Ph.D., post-doc, or some other route, you’ll be done graduating from anything by the time you’re around 22 years old.
Does that mean life is just one repetitive stagnation if we no longer get a diploma indicating we’ve concluded the next phase of our life?
While I’m not going to imply we need a “trophy” for everything we do in our lives, maybe we should take a look at what other diploma moments have happened in our lives, or will happen.
Since 2016, what else have I “graduated” from?
• I graduated from working at a small market TV station.
• I graduated from working at a medium market TV station.
• I graduated from working as a reporter here.
• I graduated from working as an assistant editor here (that was a crash course!).
• Someday soon, God-willing, I will graduate from living the single life and enter into the hallowed halls of marriage and family life.
Did every one of these call for a ceremony, special clothes, and a party with presents? No, but I do think I wore a Milwaukee Bucks jersey on each of my last days at the TV stations, so close enough. (Note to self: Remember to wear Bucks jersey on last day at Herald, whenever that may be in the hopefully distant future).
So, there we are. Despite growing out of various forms of pomp and circumstance, I’ve still been graduating from things even though school is long done for me.
A note to all graduates
So, for everyone who has, or is about to, don the caps and gowns, again, congratulations.
For those who are graduating from the next phase in life and aren’t getting a gold cord or special tassel, congratulations to you too.
If you find yourself missing part of the old life you left behind, that’s perfectly fine. Be grateful there was something there to miss.
Some people are more than happy to shed the skin of the past and move on, and that’s fine too.
If you ever feel stuck, especially after high school or college, and don’t think there is anything left to conquer, achieve, or “graduate” from, find something.
Make a goal for yourself, even if it takes 20 years to accomplish it. Or, just be open to all the changes that could happen in your life.
When you reach the 15-year mark after college like I am today, don’t be overwhelmed by the years, be happy where you’re at.
And, if you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to after you finished school, look at what you did accomplish from the perspective of today.
After all, who had the better plan for you this whole time? You or the Almighty One?