“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

-William Faulker

   Recently, my university had its spring commencement ceremonies, commonly referred to as, graduation. I’ve never really been a fan of graduations because they tend to be long and in time my back begins to hurt from the seating. This year was no different honestly. My back hurt and they lasted over 2 hours. However, while I was there I felt something different. As I watched many of the people that I’ve known for some time now walk across that stage in front of hundreds of people to receive a degree they’ve worked years to attain, I was overcome with a sense of pride. I wasn’t the one graduating but watching the smiles on their faces and the flashes of pride gleaming from their families in the stands brought joy to my heart. To see that some of the graduates were the first in their families to earn a degree and some were just happy that they “could get both parents under the same roof for an occasion other than a funeral” (someone’s actual words), moved me.

  The quote above by William Faulker made me think about those graduates. Some of them will go on to grad school, some will start families, and some will move to big cities in search of the launch pad to their careers. With whatever option their future holds for them, they had the courage to lose sight of their shores to swim to new horizons. But this isn’t just about graduations. There may be some of you that have dreams that lie past the shore that you are used to. Your shore may be your hometown, your circle of friends, or a career that doesn’t make you happy. Whatever it may be, find the courage and strength to leave and go in search of your new horizons.