I woke up with a jolt today and, for once, it wasn’t due entirely to my alarm clock. I opened my eyes and realized that I’ll be leaving tomorrow. Tomorrow.
That’s really soon.
I don’t think that there’s anything as hard as saying goodbye to friends that have been there for years. Coming from a joint middle-and-high school means that I’ve known some people since the sixth grade. It makes it seem like college is going to be a flash in the pan.
I’ll never forget the ridiculous group projects. Lord of the Flies in 10th grade meant bloody piggy banks that got us an “A”. Our The Merchant of Venice final junior year was perhaps the best video I’ve ever put together. As for physics roller coasters… We don’t talk about that.
I’ll never forget being an Outside Artist when it came time for AP Studio Art portfolios, or complaining about a laundry list of bad teachers, or learning how to take a piece of photo paper and make it beautiful. I’ll never forget the Cadillac. Or the runs to Sonic. Or the History Day projects that froze our hands and turned us into overachievers. And then lost to some slap-dash cardboard.
Post cards and letters and sweet birthday wishes… These ink-and-paper promises not to forget will be our homing pigeons. And between the words? Hold on to the road trips and sleep-overs and midnight conversations. Hold on to the jokes and dreams and whispers. Hold on to the photos and hugs and Facebook messages.
Hold on, but don’t hang back.
I’ll be home for Christmas.
