Cry me a river

I cried at my graduation. There. I said it.

Let me explain. Last Friday, I graduated from Louisiana State University. It was probably one of the best days of my life, even though I cried during the processional of my commencement ceremony.

I started my "big girl" job today, and I must say, I swore that I would never be the person to start work the Monday after graduation. But like everything else in life, we make plans, and God laughs. When I told people that I was starting to work the week after college, many couldn't believe me. In fact, for a while, I couldn't believe myself. In the past 3 days, however, I've thought a lot about what it means to graduate, and my college experience as a whole.

I don't think I was necessarily "ready" for the real world; I don't think anyone ever really is. I wasn't chomping at the bit to leave college behind, but I also realized that in this entire weekend of closure, growth and change, I never once felt a feeling of sadness. And I think that's because I did everything I set out to do in college. I gave it my all, and because of that, I received so much in return. That's why on graduation day, I cried tears of joy, tears of pride, tears filled with hope.

It sounds so cliché, but I am a firm believer in getting out what you put in. I put my everything into my time at LSU, and I'm looking forward to doing so with everything else that comes my way.