Kathy and I are now officially graduates. We went back to campus a week ago for rehearsals, which basically meant a mediocre cookout and people telling us where we’d sit the next day. It felt too soon returning to campus after having a beautiful three days being at our new apartment and I definitely did not miss sleeping in the college dorms. As is usual with most of our trips, we did forget some things and I didn’t have dress shoes to go with my nice professional outfit (not that anyone saw it under our black robes). A late night run to Concord and I found some cheap $30 no-name replacements and Kath was able to grab some fancy sandals to solve her shoe dilemma as well.
The next morning we woke to the familiar college, this time without homework in mind but butterflies in our stomachs. The first meal of the day sucked; the college supplied a few varieties of muffins and bread but certainly no logger’s breakfast. In Wheeler Hall, we and the rest of the graduating class put our 4 years (or more) of education to use by figuring out how to wear the damn graduation attire. A square hat for a round head, a dangling mop in my face, a hood like a dragon’s tale, and a woman’s dress: who started this tradition?
The group gathered at the far end of the campus as the line moved through Colgate, onto the front field between masses of parents and cameras and finally to our seating. The BFA Graphic Design students happened to be in the last rows back away from the stage and nearest to the mob of overly excited family members, some of them practically fighting their way to the front for the money shot of their son or daughter. Luckily, mom and dad are always early so seating wasn’t too bad for them. The rest of my family soon followed and arrived in time to fend for seats. By chance, Kathy’s parents landed two empty chairs right next to dad.
The ceremony actually wasn’t too bad to bear, considering most graduations are very long and tiresome. The president gave a pretty nice speech, as this day was also his investiture, along with a few other professors and students (one went on and on about Inukshuks…), then it was diploma time. I remember Bob saying to me after, “You walked the right speed, a lot of other kids ran across the stage.” It felt pretty amazing getting that “little piece of paper.” It took a lot getting here and it’s finally sinking in that it’s over. After a mini photo shoot among parents and friends near the graduation tent, we hurriedly emptied the last remains of our rooms, checked out, and said goodbye to Colby-Sawyer College.
That Sunday was Mother’s Day and I gave mom her CSC blanket, one of the few buys I’ve enjoyed at the campus bookstore. Being the first day after graduation, it really felt like the start of a new crossroad. Ironically Bob and I spent most of the day hauling firewood with Dad, something we’ve done countless times in childhood years. I loved every minute of it. Having the three of us working outdoors on a warm summer day brought back a flood of memories for all of us. Bob and I traded off using the pulp hook and Dad gave us our turns running the chainsaw. Sherri (family dog and mascot) playfully leaped off every uncut log and splashed through a nearby puddle, her mouth in the water like a whale looking for plankton. Later, we talked with some neighbors building sprint cars and we even fired up Bob’s ’57 Chevy. It was a blast tearing up and down Red Hill Road, though the mouse I almost stepped on in the back seat looked a little dizzy.