I have no idea how I am supposed to give a good bye speech. Don’t worry I’m not going to tell you how awesome of a class you’ve been, everyone already knows that. I am still having a difficult time accepting everything that is in motion. More and more I find myself looking to the past, especially my time as a child. The memories are comforting as they are a reminder of being free. I didn’t have a care in the world. I can remember running around barefoot, soft grass under my feet, jumping in mud puddles, swimming in ponds, feeding my neighbors horses (just to reiterate I didn’t wear shoes), going on long walks with my dog, and picking summer blackberries. Sometimes I would wear a shirt, but it wasn’t necessary. I was quite the hippy child. These are a few memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life. And I’m sure that you all have your own memories that you value equally as much. Those were times when I didn’t care about my parents expectations. I didn’t care about what people thought about me, I was just being myself. I was doing my own thing. But then I grew up, I became self-conscious and life will never again be that easy. I wonder if I’m still doing my own thing, or am I just another clone going to college to get my degree.
I got this interesting letter in the mail a few weeks ago. It was strange, nobody ever mails me anything. I observed the letter, the address was sloppy it looked like a three year old had written it. The scribbles seemed vaguely familiar and then I realized, it was my hand writing in third grade. While the letter was mostly comprised of lame questions like, do you have girlfriend? Does she like you? Do you still play Pokemon? Who was your best friend? There was one good question that stuck with me. What is the most important thing you’ve learned? I can think of a million different things that I’ve learned in the past few years, but what is the most important? It took me a while, but I think I’ve decided. In my four years at Newman I’ve heard my fair share of gossip about all of you. And you know what?! It’s really easy to judge people off what I’ve heard, but I don’t. Cause the thing with gossip is that it’s rarely a good thing and seldom is it true. During prom I had a conversation with someone that I’ve never spoken with before. I went into the conversation not expecting much, but I was completely wrong. And I feel guilty about that. I could have never imagined that the person would get me to question my convictions and the plan I have for my future. It wasn’t my friends, my parents, my teachers, or my college; it was some random person in my class that I’ve never spoken with before. Judge people based of your experiences with them not others.
My final story is one of simplicity. My guess is that everyone prepares for prom differently. Well probably not the girls, you guys have like 4 hours of makeup, getting you hair done, your nails, and all the other things that you need for prom. You’ll be envious to know that I relaxed and spent roughly 24 hours in my underpants before prom. It was absolutely awesome! Don’t worry this story has nothing to do with my underpants. It was on Saturday, I was outside and prayin’ that my white skin could turn a shade darker. And then, I realized how calm I was, I wasn’t stressed about anything. By all rights I should be, I have two AP tests, $90,000 of debt incoming after college, and a CBSL presentation to deliver. But I wasn’t afraid and somehow I knew that everything is going to be alright. It was just like that third grader Joseph; he knew I was going to be in college, while I have doubted it for the past 4 years. So believe in yourself, know that you will succeed and you will. But more importantly, find time to relax and enjoy all the little things because every experience is worthwhile. Thank you!