Excuse me, your cap is blocking my view of the sun.

Its graduation time and it always makes me feel like a failure.  Graduation means it’s time to reminisce and I go in reverse chronological order.  I’ll first remember that last year, I had this same feeling.  Then I’ll remember the first time I walked through all of the festivities outside of Northrup Hall as a staffer in 2006 (they don’t have as big to-do’s on the St. Paul campus).  It’s really hard not to get caught up in the feeling of happiness and excitement…for a moment.  Really, only about two seconds.  Then I remember how I gave up on graduation ceremonies for my second degree in 2003 due to the experience at the first college graduation in Duluth in 1993.  There were so many people I didn’t know and I couldn’t see my parents anywhere in the stands until I spotted my mom with the video camera who didn’t understand that I was motioning to her to record the speaker because she was the one person I did know.  My brother wasn’t able to make it, being wrapped up in Fed Ex goings-on in Memphis.  I made it to his graduation from UND in 1990, but it was much easier for me since it was more like a vacation.  I didn’t have to worry about a job, just finding time to not get behind in my freshmen classes.

My high school graduation ceremony in 1989 was attended by my mom, Grandma, and cousin Julie but missed by dad and brother.  Tom was on his way home from UND with his new girlfriend, Danelle and didn’t quite make it in time for the ceremony but more than made up for it at the grad party (much more fun anyway).  I can’t remember if I made it to his graduation in 1985, but I must have because I was 14 and would have been made to go.  I do remember the grad party though. 

Would you believe that I remember my 6^th grade graduation?  I do because it’s the only grad ceremony that took place before the first real one from high school.  It was from Wilder in 1983.  It’s nice to have a gathering with classmates where an elder figure of respect mutters a statement of appreciation for us making it this far and then something about the future that will go over our heads, but let’s not get all crazy and turn it into an actual “ceremony”. 

During this particular trudge down self-loathing lane, I choose to skip over certain painful memories in order to concentrate on the ones more related to educational milestones in my life.   I chose to re-enroll in college in 2000 after spending Dec. 31^st, 1999 under a plastic covering in a hotel restaurant doing my Controller duties making sure the horrible prophecies of 2000 wouldn’t hit my hotel’s financial system, at least without a good fight.  I decided that I wouldn’t spend another New Year’s Eve in that same position although now when I’m given the choice, I choose to stay home because I hate New Year’s Eve due to all of the crap I put up with while working in the hotel industry for 12 years.  At least it’s my choice and I’m very happy there on my couch and no one puking on my shoes.

My first degree in Business Admin was supposed to lead me to the top of the hospitality world, enshrining my name in the anals of Hospitality Management for generations to look back on.  Too bad I didn’t carve my initials into the cashier podium that night in 1999.  Then I could have kind of said that I reached my goal.

My 2^nd degree in soil science was supposed to launch me into the freedom of scientific endeavors where I could study stuff and find answers to problems without ever having to work the 3^rd shift.  Instead, it led me to realize that I couldn’t support myself in that field alone right away and had to “fall back’ on accounting again to pay the bills for awhile but got stuck there after people realized that I was good at helping people in scientific endeavors to solve problems where I am occasionally lectured by an overzealous co-worker hoping to show off his newly acquired knowledge as to what an Income Statement is even though I was working on them back when he was trying to figure out who to ask to the prom.  Speaking of prom….oh, I’ll get to that later.

In the midst of this self-depreciation, a few faces will pop into mind.  There are two people in particular that make me wonder how things would have turned out if only things could have been just a little different.  Person #1 will remain nameless because I said so.

I see his face as it was back then.  Big eyes, cleanly cut afro, incredibly strong and so so sweet.  He’d sit with me before gymnastics practice when I was in 8^th grade.  In the Minneapolis Public School system, you could be on a high school team even in junior high as along as all of the proper paperwork was signed by legal guardians and you could actually get there in time after your school let out.  This could be true everywhere but I wouldn’t know because my schooling was confined to the Minneapolis public school system.  I always showed up early (as I still do to everything) and would just sit outside of the gym doors in those big, cold, uniquely smelling high school halls.  Interesting how the sizes of the hallways increase with the grade numbers.  They get wider and ‘heavier” as you move up the grade ladder.

One day during our chat, I causally mentioned that I was in a class with his younger brother.  Being the smart person he is, he quickly deduced that in order for me to be in a class with his 8^th grade brother, I would have to be in 8^th grade myself.  At this point, if he could have turned white, he would have.   See, he was going to ask me to prom because he thought that I was a junior.  I, of course, was thrilled!  He, of course, was horrified.  I wish that would have worked out because he has turned out to be a modern-day, real life super hero.  I read about him every now and then in the newspapers and am reminded that I at least had a few sweet moments where I knew him well and that there may be people in the world that will never meet him, and that’s too bad….for them.

His younger brother inherited that ‘wonderful’ gene.  Younger brother used to make me laugh harder than anyone else at Folwell Jr High.  Whenever I was scared and wanted to hide, I would think of him and feel safe, even though it was just in my mind.  I guess feeling safe is the start of being safe….wait, no it’s not. 

Younger brother has chosen a more out-of-the-limelight path so I’ve never read anything on him in the newspapers, although I think he’s living in a suburb and is married.  When I realize that the odds are he is married, a part of my chest sinks in since a part of my brain wants it to be true that he’s still hoping that he may see me again one day when, at which point, he’ll propose and I’ll accept, after reviewing his financials of course.  No sense in taking on more debt. 

I used to not get why parents always cried at things like graduation ceremonies.  I now think it’s partly because they may be looking back and thinking about all of the earlier goals that never quite saw the light of day.  It’s not about you, it’s about them.  It also doesn’t just happen to parents, it happens to everyone so stifle your “you don’t understand because you’re not a parent” comments.   There’s one goal I did reach…not having kids.  Whew.