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| Our Wonderful Graduating Friend, Katie |
May is a tough time for a lot of people; kids and parents. It is time for kids to leave elementary or middle school top dogs; come fall they will be mere underdogs. It is time for high school students to graduate, leave moms, dads, friends, a supportive community, embark on a new life in a new world. College graduates will leave what has become a replacement home, forced out into the world to do what is expected of them: find a job, no matter where it may take them.
By the way, over and over, I keep running into magazine articles that emphasize the need for students to pick fields of study that actually have jobs available to them when they graduate. Hello! I think that is really, really good advice. You may not want to listen to your mom, but listen to me.
So, I have experienced the transition of my little one from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to college. I wouldn't trade any of those experiences. They were all great. But here is the real scoop: it is bitter sweet. We so love our little people. We don't want them to ever change or leave. And, yes, they still seem little, even though they are now our size or larger. They have rocked our worlds. I always say each and every age was my favorite age; and there was nothing terrible about the terrible 2's. Yes, I really say it, and I really mean it.
My little one (21) will be a senior in college this coming fall at Macalester College, 16 hours away from Helena. He has been there for the last three years. I think he is pretty ready to tackle the world. He is one of the very fortunate college juniors to have been selected for a "paid" summer internship. I emphasize the word paid. Not all are paid. As I say, he is very fortunate. He has worked hard, and that hard work has paid off. It would seem he has the world by the tail. I also realize that after this next school year, his life will change yet again; some parts happy, some parts sad.
Some may think of that as the beginning of the end. It is certainly the end of summer vacation as we all know it. Summer is supposed to be a time to sleep in and do only fun things. If your take on life is "the cup is half empty", maybe it is the end. For those of you that think "the cup is half full", it is only the beginning; the beginning of a new chapter.
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| Summer Fun (and my glass is really half full) |
So pony up, and get ready for the ride. It is time to start thinking in terms of "the cup is half full".
If you have young kids, you may be thinking, "Yeah, I have better things to do than read this crazy lady's blog post." If you have a high school graduate this year, you probably have a lump in your throat. If you have a child that graduated years ago, you know way more than I do, so I will defer to you. I am just sitting here in this mom of a junior (life is great) headed to senior (things are going to change) mode, but I am a "cup is half full" person, so it is just the beginning. I welcome the new chapter.
Each end has a new beginning. For every door closing, there is a new door opening. For every person that dies, there is a person that is born.
The circle of life.
By the way, the Lion King was my son's favorite movie. And Elton John is my hero.
"I like circles, and I love life. A match made in heaven." ~ Stella
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