Friday High Five: Graduations

I know some of you are rolling your eyes at this, but today for Friday High Five I decided to list the five things I love about graduations. It's a sickness--so humor me.

This time of year I spend quite a few hours at commencement ceremonies as part of my job. This year I'm covering at least five for the paper. I really don't mind though because they are filled with contagious amounts of hope and excitement.

Things I enjoy include:

• Speeches Like I said, it's a sickness. However, I love to hear the graduates talk. Talk about the promises of the future. Talk about the difficulties of saying goodbye. Talk about the struggles they have already overcome.
• Hope Many of these kids aren't much older than my children. As cliche as it might sound they are the future and this, usually, gives me a lot of hope. Hope that they can turn things around. Hope that one of them may be the answer to the woes of cancer. Hope that they will truly change the world.
• Excitement As students walk up to gather their diploma into their hands for the first time, many families shout with joy. There are hoots and hollers and sometimes the occasional bull horn. It is impossible not too smile.
• Flashes of the future As silly as it might sound I can picture my own children's graduation quite vividly as I sit there. Substituting faces and speeches with kids I know. Trying to wonder who will be the val or the sal and what they will look like as young adults.
• Songs A lot of pomp and circumstance (pun intended) goes into these events and song selection is, indeed, one of them. My favorite choice "For Good" from the Broadway musical Wicked