Getting In, Part 12: Commencement

I have to admit, when we began the whole process of "getting in," we weren't actually thinking too much about the "getting out" that would go along with it. And so, graduation just came upon us--the cap and the gown and the goodbyes to something we'd just (or not even) said "hello" to. As hard and involving as the "getting in" process was, the "getting out" seemed like just a matter of getting dressed and showing up.

At each stage, whether it's a few months or a few years, whatever we're doing feels as though it will last forever (whether "lasting forever" is a good or a bad thing). And then, in a moment while our backs are turned, what we're doing is over, almost as if our doing it was just imagined. And we find ourselves at a new place, with new challenges, hopeful that those previous ones have left us sufficiently prepared.

In the blink of an eye, the caps and gowns, and all the things that came before them, are over. I guess it's not so much about "getting in" anymore. Now it's about getting started...