Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, Teachers and Tutors, Parents and Principals, Students and Siblings, Friends and Family, People in the Back and Everyone else, today is a very special day for all of us. Well, maybe not for the people in the back, but it’s definitely a special day for everyone else. Today, for those of you who somehow don’t know, is the day that we who have toiled so hard for the past four years, finally get to wear hats with squares on them. Seriously, this is a big deal for a lot of us; hats rarely come in the square variety. In addition to getting to wear these hats we also get to, you know, graduate, move on, do all that good stuff. But it’s mostly about the hats.
I did not intend to talk solely about hats today. It is my intention to tantalize you all with a story of heroic stature, filled with love, high speed chases, and morals. It is a story about a moment which changed my life. Since it isn’t every day that something happens to change your life, it seemed to be a fitting thing to relate to you.
A few months ago, I was rushing down to lunch like everyone else, because the
sooner I ate my food, the sooner I could sit around and wait to go back to class.
I got a prime spot in line and was putting lettuce on my sandwich when I saw
it – stationed beautifully between the milks and the salads was the love
of my life - cake… delicious delicious freshly-baked iced cake on individual
Styrofoam serving platters. Oh be still my heart. I began to look over the individual
Styrofoam serving platters to find the best piece, as anyone else would do,
and I noticed the largest piece of cake anyone has ever gotten out of the school
with… at least the largest piece of cake anyone has ever gotten out of
school with…. alive. I snatched it up and began doing my “I just
got an awesome piece of cake dance” (which I will spare you the majority
of, but included this little number *do little jig*). With the dance completed,
I moved on to pay for my food, and the cashier, noticing my rather bulbous slab
of cake, stated:
“Wow, you got a big piece of cake”.
I replied, beaming with pride, “Yeah, it’s my lucky day!”
And that’s when she said the thing which changed my life.
“Yeah… well, you haven’t eaten it yet” *DUN DUN DUNNNNNN*
My first thought was, “Is she implying that this cake may not be as delicious
as it appears? Cause if so, it’s going down right here, right now! No
one insults my cake!” But then the true meaning of her statement hit me.
My good mood immediately vanished into terror at the realization that maybe,
in some horrible hideous way, she was implying that I could lose my cake and
never get a chance to eat it.
Paranoia set in. I started yelling at people to get out of my way as I ran full
speed for a table so I could eat my cake before something unthinkable happened
to it. I arrived at my table and sat down, relieved, only to discover that in
my haste, I had left my top bun back with the lettuce, but the cake was safe
at least, and I must tell you that it was delicious. But the sandwich tasted
like half a sandwich… probably because it was half a sandwich. And that
brings me to my point!
As we all go off to do bigger and better things in the future. (Yes, yes, there are things bigger and better than high school. I know it’s hard to imagine, but don’t freak out.) We need to remember that nothing is ever certain. Even more importantly though, we need to remember to keep our eye not only on the sweet things in life, but also on the kinda normal-tasting white bread substantial stuff in life. Cause without that, our lives, like our stomachs, will only be half as full…
Also, if anyone happened to pick up that top bun, I really would like that back. Thanks.
With that, hold on to your squarish hats guys…Let’s graduate!