I watched with old eyes as you grew.  I waited patiently alongside your parents as you tried and tried to learn to tie your shoes.  And when that first day of school came, some of you ran off into the coming adventures of finger painting and hug-a-tree-ing with a fearless heart and endless dreams, while some others of you clung to your parents’ side, afraid of where I–Time–might bring you.  Don’t be shy, I echoed through the fears and doubts.  I’ll take you far.

You see, so many people are afraid of me for this reason or that.  Time changes everything.  I heal and I hurt.  I let you live in the moment.  I move too fast.  I pass too slowly.   I listened helplessly as you begged me to get on my way.  Come on, move faster, Time.  Why am I still stuck here in this place of unmoving and waiting. I hear your pleas to pause my agenda. Please, stop taking us closer to goodbye.  Don’t let us get too far away.

As an element of the universe, I operate on a very strict agenda.  I have deadlines.  You count on me for everything.  You wait on me for the day of the big game, the big exam.  You were patient as you watched the classes before you–2013, 2014, 2015–endure their final days, hours, moments of high school.  You cried because you knew you would miss them.  You cried because it wasn’t your turn yet.  But now it is.  There have been so many moments that each of you screamed your impatience at my omnipotent direction.  Waiting for the day: to decide where you’ll go to school, to pack your things, to say goodbye to everything that defines your normal.

As you can see, I have a very busy schedule.  I take everyone to where they need to be, and everyone looks to me with desperate eyes for something:  for love, for friendship, for a repeat, for a rewind, for more of me–more Time.  I think it’s worth it, though, to take a moment out of my packed full calendar to give you–the future–some advice:

Be unique:  You’ve heard it time and time again. Don’t ever let the expectations of your peers, your parents, or your coaches and teachers, define you.  You are your own person.  If you forget to embrace that wonderful fact, you deprive the world of knowing the one and only (insert your name here).

Be kind and serve:  The good parts of this world grow out of the desire to do good.  Often times, people ignore that quiet thought to help someone, even in the smallest way.  Remember that from small acts of kindness come unbreakable bonds of friendship, and an irreplicable sense of satisfaction.

Be open-minded, yet steadfast in your standards:  As you step into this separate world of change and diversity, you’ll hear voices of opposition and reason.  People will sway you this way and that, trying to convince you of their ideas.  They may succeed, but remember to take other ideas and turn them into your own, with your own experience, knowledge, and reason as your guide.  You’ve learned a lot in these 18 (or so) years.  Don’t discredit that experience just because you grow older.  Be sure to remember where you came from, because the world can’t risk losing the person you are today.

Be adventurous:  Let graduation be a time to prove to you that adventures are the moments you will remember far longer than any test grade.  The times you spend with friends, the crazy decisions and far-reaching ideas, the road trips and hikes.  Adventures last longer.  So get out there.  And go crazy.

Be decisive:  The most successful people in life are those that make decisions fearlessly, and carry out plans boldly.  We all have common sense, use it and trust it.  Sure, sometimes we may make the wrong choice.  But when that happens, grow, learn, become a more experienced individual because of it.  Own your mistakes, admit failure, because you’re only human and that’s okay.  I assure you that nine times out of ten, the time you spend being indecisive is wasted on worry and fear of failure.  Don’t be afraid of failing.  Just decide something, stick with it, and make the best of that decision.

Be someone to remember:  No matter where you go, you have the opportunity to meet people, to share your story, and to create a new one.  Wherever you go, give people a reason to remember you.  You never know who you could meet or who may remember you.  Leave a legacy.  Tell stories. Your influence is only as big as you make it.  So make it big.

BE THERE:  Wherever you are, be there with your whole being.  Whatever you do, do it with all that you have.  At any point in time, priorities should dominate your life because there is in fact a time and a place for everything.  Believe me when I say that there is no greater place to be than in the moment.  Fully devoted to the task at hand, to the person you’re talking with, to the subject you are studying, for the ideas that are bubbling to the brim of your mind.  Let the moment carry you far.  That text can wait until you have more time to write back with a thoughtful response.  That professor giving a lecture and putting you to sleep might just have something life-changing, or even slightly-impactful to say.  So listen.  Be there when you’re walking to and from classes and all around campus, notice the things that make life beautiful.  Be there when you’re studying with a group, get done what needs to be gotten done.  Be there when you’re at a job interview, don’t leave any doubts in either the interviewer’s or your mind that you are cut out for the job.  Be there when you’re brushing your teeth, realize that the more care you take in brushing, the longer your young, beautiful smile will stick around.  Be there when you’re having fun with friends, let the schoolwork wait.  

Have patience with me.  Some things can wait.  Other things can’t, so don’t wait for me to give you permission or whatever it is that you look for in Time to give you the green light.  I’ve watched so many people spend their whole lives waiting for the “right opportunity” and they never find it out of fear that “a better break will come along.”  Perhaps you never know if it’s right unless you take a chance.  

Seniors, dream big.  Let your heart take you where it will.  Remember where you came from.  Once a kadet, always a kadet.  Be big, be unique, be kind, be open-minded, be adventurous, be decisive, be someone to remember.  But above all, be there.  It’s time to show the world the Class of 2016.