Saying goodbye to Laurier is shockingly one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life. I’ve grown so much as a person here, and I’ve met people who have completely changed my life. “Bittersweet” seems to be the word used by most of the people I’ve talked to when it comes to thinking about moving on, and I think it’s perfect.
There’s an unmistakable feeling of joy and pride that comes from knowing that I’m graduating this year. I’ve made it so far in my education and in my life, and I’m proud of the person I’ve become — the person Laurier has helped me become. At the same time, the idea of moving on is heartbreaking. I never realized how short my time here really was until right now, at the end.
If you haven’t listened to Vienna by Billy Joel, do that now. The song is so beautiful and for me, really captures the feeling of growing up and worrying about what the future holds. It’s the perfect graduation anthem, and after dissecting the lyrics a bit, I’m almost positive you’ll think so too.
“Slow down, you crazy child / You’re so ambitious for a juvenile / But then if you’re so smart / Tell me why are you still so afraid?”
Unsurprisingly, these opening lines hit very close to home as a soon-to-be Laurier graduate. I feel like there is this pressure to know exactly what comes next, and for a large portion of us, that feeling of not knowing is scary. I’ve been working towards a degree for four years, and I still don’t know what to do when it’s done. Although I have all of these ideas and expectations for myself, I still feel so unprepared to leave.
“Slow down, you’re doin’ fine / You can’t be everything you wanna be before your time”
Although these lines are very similar to the last, there’s more positivity and hope in them. It’s okay to not know what comes next, even when it feels scary. You will get there when you’re supposed to get there, but pushing yourself to heights you can’t reach isn’t sustainable. I need to remind myself to take a breath every once in a while so I don’t miss what’s actually happening.
“But you know that when the truth gets told / That you can get what you want or you can just get old”
As morbid as this is about to sound, everyone is eventually going to die. Unfortunately, that is one thing that is absolutely certain for every person in the world. What’s important is what you choose to do with the life you’re given. You can sit around and be upset that you don’t have everything you want or that things are hard. I’ll admit I do both of those things far more often than I’d like to. However, worrying about not having the life I want right this moment isn’t going to slow down time. So, I can keep worrying about what things will be like, or I can actually live my life.
“When will you realize Vienna waits for you?”
For some people, maybe Vienna is the goal. For me, Vienna is a placeholder word for the rest of my life. There’s comfort in taking a few steps back and realizing life is only passing you by if you let it. The reality is, that your life is just that—yours. And it doesn’t pass you by, it waits for you. You will get your “Vienna” in whatever way it means for you, but you don’t have to rush and you don’t have to fear the unknown.
I’ll be the first to say it: change is scary, but I promise you’re not going through it alone. All of your fellow graduates have your back (and if they don’t, I do!), and there is nothing this world can throw at you that you can’t handle. You’ve made it this far, and even when you might feel like you don’t know where to go or what to do, Vienna is there and it waits for you.
Congratulations, I’m so proud of you!