It’s very important to take note of the music I’m listening to at any given change in my mood. In this particularly tearful – one might even say romantic – mood, I’ve got On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons on repeat. If you follow me on twitter – and I certainly hope for your sanity that you don’t – then you know I’ve been squealing about #gradfeels, a hashtag that accurately sums up my…well, feelings about graduation. Of which I have many.
I’m in my last year of high school and my graduation is a mere two months away. Although it’s been coming and although on paper it’s quite clear that, yeah, this is the end of my high school career…it’s astounding how realizing something that’s an inevitability can shatter your world.
It certainly is shaking my world with all the intensity of 35 excited and anxious 17-19 year olds who’ve been waiting a very long time to be done with school. I’ve been blessed enough to have had a good high school experience – though with a healthy dose of resentment, I assure you! – and the fact that it is ending is both exhilarating and saddening.
But more than anything else, I am anxiously looking forward to seeing where the future takes me and every single person in my graduating year. We’re reaching a point where all our efforts are coming to a head – be it exams, university offers, university applications, or just trying to get by. We celebrate our successes, support each other through the disappointments, and are just generally sticking together through these final few months.
We’re not a big batch. I’m thankful for that. To have such a tight-knit group of people to call my classmates is wonderful and I couldn’t be happier if I handpicked people to graduate with.
I can practically see the end. Sure, it’s bittersweet, but kind of like really good lemonade, where the bitterness is just a refreshing jolt.
This year truly flew. Faster than I could have believed possible. The next couple of weeks will tell if that’s something to be regretted, but until then, I have this excitement riding me out.
For now, it’s 4am and I’m delirious in my sleep-addled, sentimental, indie-fueled reverie. To bed it is.
Neiha Lasharie 