A few days ago I attended the commencement ceremony at my alma mater (congrats, WCCS Class of 2016!). While my own graduation day was of course at the forefront of my mind throughout the night, many additional thoughts and emotions came back to me as I sat in that familiar purple- and gold-adorned gymnasium. Here are some things I noticed during my visit:
1. Your friends and you pick up right where you all left off, with the same old inside jokes and musings about your school.
Years may have passed, but you'll easily recall the off-the-wall phrases that would make you double over in laughter as high school students -- and it turns out, those random, ridiculous one-liners still elicit the same reaction. ("And one more!")
2. Your teachers look and act pretty much the same.
Their mannerisms, accents and sayings trigger memories from your grade school/high school years. They'll remind you of things you said or did when you were in their classes, things that will now make you shake your head. They'll want to know exactly what you're doing, which leads to...
I'm out of here." "Your life literally looks perfect. Like in that one picture you posted from..." Well, that's a stretch, you'll tell them, but they'll still be somewhat in awe of the life you're now leading, simply because it's so entirely different from theirs and even different from the one you used to lead. Different friends, different interests, different things marked off your bucket list. Remind them that soon, they'll be in your shoes, taking on the world past the doors of your school.
6. You'll catch even the tiniest differences that have taken place since you left.
"That flower bed wasn't there when I graduated. And these soap dispensers are different. Why does it smell weird in here? Oh, they got new carpet. Wait, when did that Dollar General get there?"
7. Ladies, you will get asked if you have a boyfriend. Multiple times.
It might be by the sweet little cafeteria lady or by your hilarious grade school teacher or by a former peer trying to make a move, but you will be asked. So just prepare yourself. (Also, I feel like my brother and my guy friends never get asked about having a girlfriend when we go back and visit, which is totally not fair, but it's fine.)
8. You find yourself remembering specific things about specific parts of campus.
Like taking the field or the court for soccer or basketball games, or cheering on the sidelines in the gym. Or the time when Cow thought it was a good idea to jump from the top of the doorway onto the stage, or when Elena knocked the lightbulb out in the hallway coming from chapel, or when Alec drove all the way across the soccer field in the snow, or when the teeter-totter snapped in half on the playground (it wasn't us...). And then you'll recall all of the traditional and annual things, like Serving Others Day, Egg Day, Pi Day, Tie-Dye Day, homecoming...and my personal favorite, all gathering up in the booths in the balcony to watch March Madness on TV when we should've been in study hall. This place in itself is a time capsule of hilarious and endearing memories.
9. You can't help but smile as you leave.
At least I hope that's the case. I hope that your alma mater is as welcoming and refreshing as mine is. I hope that you get an embarrassingly major case of the "warm fuzzies." I hope you have a person (mine was my sweet, sassy, Southern high school math teacher) who looks at you and says genuinely, "It's good to see your face." I hope you bask in the memories and encourage those younger than you to take it all in while they can, because while they may not necessarily be the best years of your life, your years in school still hold some pretty phenomenal memories you'll carry for decades to come.
