onwards upwards

This is the right way to end a school year: faces of students appear, one after another – graduating. Once just starting, now at the end of it. Faces, faces, with parents, lovers, friends, mostly happy faces, hiding worries. Not today, no, today celebrates the accomplishments, the graduation, the future lawyers, those who’ll help you when some grave injustice befalls you. (You forgot that that’s what lawyers do? I’m here to remind you!)

I am up early, but not early enough. Ed says (as he comes back up after letting Isis, the restless one, out) – beautiful morning. I say – oh, maybe it’s time to take a look at a sunrise over Lake Waubesa! Just two miles east of us, a fast scoot on old Rosie. Except I forget that it’s May and in May you need to be up and away before 6 to catch a sunrise.

But, it is indeed a beautiful morning. Early morning always looks good in the "old orchard" of the farmette.

Eventually Ed goes off for his Friday meetings and I get on Mr. Red, peddling to the Monona Terrace for the Law School graduation.

And, as it is a special day, I can, while biking, look up and see a doe prance off, even at noon – a rare time for deer to prance in front of you.

So, they’re off, those wonderful wonderful students of ours – past the little kid stage...



 



...past the first year at law school stage, they are almost there, almost part of the world of balancing work and family or no family, or work and friends, or something, something to keep them grounded or maybe the proper word should be 'afloat.'

One of the graduation speakers, no, sorry, two of the graduation speakers talk in one way or another about the need for that balance. Ah, yes. If only the employers were listening and taking notes!

Me, I’d like to say that I’m with you, those who would love 1. a  job and 2. one with balance. We will rise above the clamor that pushes the young professionals to do nothing but work, we will stand united, we will reject the pressure to give our souls to the workplace! (That would be my own revolutionary call.)

Or maybe they, the young professionals, already know and fight for what it is that matters?

For now, these weighty thoughts are dispersed, floating somewhere, but not here, not in the giddy hallways and ballrooms...


 
the faculty gather


... where graduates pass through and have photos taken, in hot black robes, on a hot May afternoon in Madison.

the student commencement speakers

Congratulations sweet students – adults when you came, but so much stronger today, after the toil of it all, so much stronger and – I do believe this – wiser and, I hope, happier.