Ah graduation. I decided to wax poetic about graduation tonight, as all the hoopla over the annual event has got me thinking.

Remember when we were in High School and graduation was SO far off. All we could think about was how many more years we had until we were " outta here". Each year we'd anxiously count down the days, ecstatic when one more year was over. Finally that crazy year known as senior year arrived. Most of us got "senioritis", skipping school, coming late, avoiding homework, etc. We had to deal with the annoyance, or excitement of applying to colleges, and breathlessly checking the mailbox each day, hoping we'd get our acceptance letter from the college of our dreams.

Finally the last day arrived, and we couldn't believe, this was it, the final day of our high school careers. We hauled our asses out of bed, and headed off to school for the last day, turning in our well used ( or not) books, and cleaning out a years worth of detritus from our lockers, getting lazy and just throwing things out in the hallway. Saying goodbye to our beloved teachers ( or good riddance to our despised ones). Then that odd week ( at least for us) of finally being out of school, but not yet graduating, our anticipation building up to that wonderful ceremony.

Finally it came, the day we've been waiting for since we toddled off to Kindergarten. We donned our cheap blue robes and caps ( or whatever color your high school was), and for those who worked hard in school, those exciting gold and white cords, proclaiming to the world that the wearer enjoyed scholastic achievements. Some cried, others were glad, etc. We posed for pictures with who ever would stand still long enough. We finally received our little pieces of paper with you names, moved our tassels to the left ( or was it the right?), and threw our caps in to the air in jubilation. We went off to our respective parties, joining in the merriment at our friend's, cleaning up in the gift department. The day was ours, the newspaper filled with ads from local businesses shouting congratulations, those same words blazing at us from roadside marquees. We felt great that day, everyone loved us, we were the pride of our town.

That summer the feeling still remained, and then fall returned. We wandered off to our new (or same) jobs, now enjoying full time status, or to our further educations. Some moved far away as we had dreamed of doing those long high school days, which seemed so far away now, some stayed where we were. We made a valiant effort to stay in touch with our friends, but as time has away of doing, our contacts, faded away, to instead a head nod in the grocery store, a slight wave from a passing car.

Here we are 5 years later, and the time has come again. The congrats are showing up in the papers again, but yet, the seem cheap now, as we have seen them year and year again. They are no longer special for us, meant for others. We realize that it was the same when it was our big day, but it meant the world to us.

Well.. I suppose....