Time & change

Commencements are so aptly named, aren't they?  Occurring, as they do, at the end of something, commencements send young graduates onward with the promise and challenge of the world they are about to face.  U of Iowa's was done with grace and dignity, and we are all so proud of Ben.  I was grateful I could be there, though I was far from at my best, physically or mentally.

Have some commencements of my own now, passages both professional and personal.  In our personal lives, ceremonies and rituals like graduations or matriculations don't signal definitive beginnings and endings.  Sometimes these can only be seen clearly in retrospect, especially in relationships.  I think we're unconsciously aware of beginnings and endings well before we're prepared to acknowledge them.  Family and deep friendships endure, but everything else---jobs, careers, possessions, lovers, etc---well, let's just say that the more we cling to what we have, the less open we are to what is to come and what is necessary for our own growth and development.  My hope for my nephew is the same I have for me--and for you---to recognize when it's time to open the door and walk through it.