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We stand today on the brink of our new lives. The time has almost
come for us to assume new titles and positions, to adopt new
schedules and to walk the road of adulthood. For twelve years
now, we have watched each other grow into ourselves and be confused
at our own changing minds and bodies. The past twelve years have
been formative years, moulding us and preparing us for what awaits
us around the corner. |
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At this time, many are looking on to college or university,
others are starting out in the work force full time, and others
are travelling to foreign countries to study or to simply learn
from the many kinds of people in the world. Whatever our destination,
it is the journey that has taken us thusfar that has created
the person we see before us. All of our quirks, our personality
traits, every decision we make has been impacted by the events
of the 17 or 18 years we have been alive. These are the determining
factors on where we take ourselves in life.
Whether or not we care to admit it, school has been a safe-haven
for us. A place where we know the atmosphere, where we are prepared
for what comes along, and where the next day doesn't seem unknown
and frightening. We have all been on the same schedule, more
or less, for the past 12 years and it will be strange to suddenly
have to arrange our own schedules.
The thought of being independent, making my own life-decisions
scares me, and I would probably be accurate in saying that it
scares most of us. The thing is, I know that I'll get through
it, because I'm not the first one to tread these waters. They
have been charted before me. There are so many questions to ask,
so many possibilities, so much promise out there for all of us,
it's just a matter of reaching out and grabbing it for ourselves.
When I think of leaving our High School, sadness fills my
heart, (and my eyes), because we're leaving all the old and familiar
behind. Our teachers who we have come to trust and respect, our
classmates who have become a part of our lives, friends that
we have made and, some, lost. These walls have all of our many
memories inside of them. If they could only talk...There would
be the excitement of pep rallies and school games, the laughter
and the tears shared. There would be visions of pensive students,
worrying about upcoming exams and tests. Then there would be
graduation week, where teenagers of all walks of life come together
despite past differences and conflicts, sharing the excitement
and the apprehension of leaving each other behind.
No matter how different we are from person to person, we all
share a common thing. We are young. We are full of energy and
"Joie de vivre". And we all are on the last legs of
a race well run. But the thing is, at the end of this race, the
minute we stagger past the finish line, we only have a brief
moment before we are off again, on a much longer, exciting adventure-the
rest of our lives.
A stone has been placed in our path. Either we fall over it,
and give up, thinking it's much too big, too difficult, too frightening
to conquer. Or we step up and over it, realizing that in order
to continue successfully, we must take some risks. We can not
be intimidated by this new vista of
being young adults. The possibilities set before us and the adventures
we can have trying to attain them, make the going that much easier.
None of us will forget the 12 years we have spent together,
we will all keep some special memories in our hearts for a long
time. Let us, as we leave each other, remember that we were young
once, virtually carefree and protected from the outside world.
I hope that we can look on these years as good ones, not as a
time we want to stay in, but that brings a warm feeling to our
hearts for years to come. |
