Dust to Dust (A little dose of sentimentality upon graduating)

Here’s a little piece I jotted down in my notebook back in June and forgot to put online. I feel it’s appropriate again what with everyone leaving or having left for college.

So, I just graduated. And I feel like I should have something really deep to say about myself, high school, “the long strange trip.” But there is really only one image sticking in my head. Towards Christmas of 7th grade, Mr. Corsello and Ms. Cazeau told our class at the end of an assembly in the Marshall Center that they had presents for us. And then they handed us all these pencils with Class of 2008 emblazoned on them.

Finally, from that far-off assembly in December of 2002, we’ve come here. From the dozens of elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, home schools, we became one. It only lasted ever so long, until now. Now, we disperse like dust in the wind (apologies to Kansas the band) to so many colleges, universities and other ventures. We came together, congealed I think is the right word, from our many different beginnings and now we move on to our many different paths in life. We were one only for so long, through one of Alex Stepheson’s thunderous dunks back in sophomore year, or the amazing run our football team made junior year. But even that, the “we were one” is oversimplifying it greatly. There were fractions and fissures, love hate and drama enough to fill a reality show with Flava Flav.

But none of that really matters. We grew up together. We found out a little bit of who we were going to. Together. And I think that’s enough. That’s enough “one-ness” to overcome any fraction, fissure or even the San Andreas fault.

And I’m pretty sure I enjoyed it. So thank you Class of 2008. Abbott to Mia Zee, wherever you are, thank you. And good luck to you all.