Graduation.

Well, It's that time of the year again. High School Graduation. The ceremony, the banquet, the dance, the after party. You know it's come when Facebook is bombarded with pictures of younger friends in their caps and gowns, their big prom dresses, the limos and their dates. This time last year all that was me. I was in that elated, I'm graduating High School mood. The moments that came with all of the events, the exhilaration, and all of the years of school we had gone through. Graduating High School is a big thing. It's the first step to growing up. It's that first major feeling of "I did it. I really did it" and "Now what am I going to do?". It's the pure joy of finishing something. You really accomplished something. It's your day to shine. You get to walk up on that stage to get that certificate. You get to wear that beautiful gown that you know you're going to only ever wear once, you get to be a princess for the day. 

I really can't believe that it has been a year. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. This whole year has been like a dream. It just flew by. I think thats what happens when you get out of school. You get older  (I mean, I'm not that old. Only 18! I'm still a baby!) and see things differently. You're not just in High School. Public, Free education. Once you leave, you go to school because you want to. You have to pay for it. You have to decide what you want to do from now on. You make the decisions. You're losing that protection from mom and dad, from your teachers and guidance. It's all up to you now. You're not going to be spoon fed anymore. You're seen as a responsible young adult now. Nobody's going to babysit you. 

Another thing about graduating, is that you really realize who your friends are. When you're not in the same class or grade, you have to make the effort to see each other. To retain those friendships you made in school if they're worth keeping. Once you're out of school you're put in different groups. You find friends who are doing the same thing you are. You find friends that share the same interests as you do, Have the same goals as you do. You're not just friends with them because you've always been friends with them. You're not just a part of a clique, you become an individual. Last year, signing yearbooks and handing out grad pictures, you always wrote "You're great, I'm going to miss you tons!" or perhaps something more personal, but I've realized this past year, that most of the people you wrote that to, you won't really miss them, but the idea of them. They represent your high school years. They represent your memories. They represent your youth. The great friend's you'll keep, the acquaintances, will be preserved in pictures. The pictures you show your kids. The memories you keep with you for the rest of your life. So, with that said... Congratulations Class of 2010!