Jeff's Commentary - 5/26 - New Beginnings

I attended one of my sons' high school graduation ceremonies on Tuesday night. It was a big class so the event was held at Wells Fargo Arena and over 500 students walked into the building as young ambitious kids and left a few hours later as new young adults.

The speeches were the kind you would hear at an event like this. Words like “hope”, “future,” “memories,” and “achievement” spilled out among the talk. But in each speech where students spoke, the theme that wrapped around each person was to go find something you really wanted to do with your life, and then go do it. It seems so simple.

Somehow, we sometimes lose that goal when we travel that journey of everyday living. And each day becomes more of a chore than a love. So I really embraced the enthusiasm that the students had to have passion for “something” in their new beginnings.

The world will change for all of them as they go down different roads. Either furthering their education, joining the military, or simply starting a path of work now. The “hope” is that regardless of the path they choose that they develop a passion to embrace and believe in. To make a difference in their own lives by choosing the road less taken by others.

I feel the symbolism of throwing your caps into the air is special for anyone who has done that at least once in their lives. The memory of a time long past that is still cherished by most. As I walked out, I couldn’t help but think that there is always a time to start over for each of us. To grab back onto a vision that might have escaped us until now. One that may have been put off by the events of time. Graduations aren’t just for the graduates, rather they are chance for all of us to redefine our own lives and make sure we are trying to find that thing that can make us all tick differently and make us happy.

So for my son, who enters into a new world, I hope he embraced the words that were spoken that night. Find the one thing that you love, and go for it. That is the greatest satisfaction I can have as a parent as he journeys into a new life.

And for me, while I feel I have found my passion in life, I’ll try to wake each day to make that passion real, authentic and balanced.
Hmmm...who knew you could learn so much from a night out with the kids?

Jeff