In less than a month, my son will be graduating Stanford University. I don't think Costco sells enough Kleenex to carry me through the day. I cry at graduations of people I don't even know. Since Adam was a freshman, I've watched the ceremonies on line, laughed at the Wacky Walk, inspired by the speakers, hoping when his day comes he would get a good one. He did - Bill and Melinda Gates. Four more years, three more years, two more years, next year has come in a blink of an eye. High school seemed to last for decades while college flashed by in an instant.
I will never be invited to give a commencement address although life does bring unexpected surprises. As a mother and seasoned adult, there are assurances and advice, I'd love to give to a crowd of bright eyed 22 year olds. Commencement is the end of your college years but the beginning of your life as an adult, a closing of one chapter and an opening of another. It is hard to imagine as you tearfully leave the place you have called home for four years, filled with friends and memories, that the best is yet to come. The happiest, most fulfilling days are ahead with the spouses you've yet to meet, the jobs yet to be created, unborn children, dogs and cats, unbuilt houses, places yet to be explored. Most of you will not change the world but you can change your community or make a difference in one life. When confronted with a choice, opt for kindness. An open heart will take you to better places than a closed mind. College provides you with friends for life. Nourish those friendships. They are irreplaceable gifts.
Stay curious. Education doesn't end with a diploma.  Try things that scare you. Go against your nature and discover another side of your self.

I would never want to go back to being 22 or 23 years old. Those were the worst years of my life. I was misguided, undirected and depressed. I was floundering. If someone had given me a crystal ball to reveal what the future held for me, I would have been in awe. Maybe we should all have commencements every few years, the way some couples renew their vows. It would remind us of the possibility that the best is yet to come!