Technically, my first day of the rest of my life was Thursday, June 13 — the day after my graduation from high school — and the first day of my adulthood was Friday, June 14. I guess you could say it was a bit anticlimactic but, nonetheless, 18 is a big step for everyone. Even now, all I can say is “Wow” or sigh at the thought of taking my first steps into living for me, by me, and with only me to place the rules. This summer is a milestone for all of us graduates, and I can’t think of a better group to be sent off with.
Just a year ago, we were rising seniors — bright-eyed, hopeful and thinking we knew all about Stress and Drama, when we had only reached the tip of the iceberg. Some of us knowing where we wanted to go and others having no clue. And, now, we’re here — ending high school. There really aren’t words to describe how amazed I am at how time flies. In this moment, I realize that time had actually stopped for me, more so than I thought.
I don’t know anything about finances and credit, insurance, long-distance and extended stays, micro-managing my life, being treated like a full-fledged adult… So what do I do? What do you do? Worry? Get scared and become less than optimistic? Even with being overwhelmed, I wouldn’t give this moment for one minute to go back in my past. Yes, from this point on, “good enough” won’t be good enough anymore. It won’t be our dreams that define us and it won’t be what we make of those dreams. It’s what we make of the “here, now” — Be here, now. Our local realities, our insights into the world, our attempts to “be the change we want to see in the world…” — They will define the “who” and “what” we are, and, likewise, the “why” and “how” that make us rise to the top, when so many don’t make it and when others fall to the bottom. Often, leaders tell us to focus on “Mind, Body, Soul with Character” — in truth, that is your character. What we envision, what we embody and what “speaks out” our passion becomes our Character. And Character tells us “why” and “how” we become stars — and stars don’t just fall.
Ironically, I discovered that peace on Wednesday night, when my parents gave me a book from my childhood as a graduation gift: Oh, the Places You’ll Go. Like Dr. Seuss poetically explained, we will meet hang-ups and bang-ups on our way. No one said it would be easy, and it’s lonely at the top. Yet, that shouldn’t scare me. I have mountains to move; we have mountains to move. We’re dreamers, but that means more than sitting and waiting for a miracle. This is a time to celebrate the miracles we’ll make ourselves — and, in those miracles, we will form them together, just on separate mountains. You’re a mover-and-shaker, a visionary, an artist — Call me a romantic or whatever, but I know who you are. This is a chance to make a step towards taking your place among giants. Make the most of this opportunity; define the person you’ll become.
It’s here. Time to grab it
