Catching A Rainbow
My beautiful classmates, family, friends, faculty, people watching this elsewhere, and people who went through so much trouble just to be here today: I have a dream! I know I know but I’ve always wanted to do that.
Until recently I saw this day more like a funeral—our lives of intellectual growth and exploration would come to an end. A life of infinite coffee, extensions, Goodrich, honeybuns, buffalo fries and free WIFI is over. For some of us this might be the last time we see each other. After all why are we all wearing black? We are leaving a world surrounded in purple for a world that is colorless? Why can’t the “real” world have a color too? How cool is it to live in a “purple bubble”? That’s something kids would be trading you for in elementary school. You’d be like “nah its cool jimmy I don’t need you glow-in-the-dark go-gurt; I got my purple bubbles,” as you pretentiously blow that stuff in his face.
No, this is not a funeral—better yet, consider this a wedding! We are not marrying each other, even though most of us will, but we are joining a strong alumni society. Through better and worse, we will wield our purple light sabers like young Jedi warriors. May the force be with you my little Sky Walkers!
How much better would the world be with traditions like mountain day, where the mayor unexpectedly calls off work and everybody goes to a park or a rooftop building and your coworkers sing songs like “Shout!” as you stuff yourself with hot cider and grilled honeybuns!
As the youngest male in our class, I consider myself your younger brother. Lets admit it, every one of you know a least one embarrassing story about me—faculty and parents included. You taught me more than any tutorial or seminar could have. You woke up with me at 6 in the morning to workout and stayed up until 3 AM to have raging part… study sessions.
Now I was never good at goodbyes, so I will end with this story:
When I was a little boy, Freshman Spring, there was a terrible storm that instantly consumed the sky. Everyone stopped to watch it. Eventually the sun split the dark nebulous cloud and through the quiet mist, appeared a rainbow.
Right away I knew what that meant; I was going to GET that pot o’ Gold. If I had to take out Mr. lucky charms myself I was going to get my hands on some quick cash. So I got off of the steps of Paresky, called my friend, and within minutes we were on our way to poker flats. However we misjudge the distance, it was floating further away over the soccer fields. It was fading quickly; so we began to run on the wet grass and before I knew it my friend slipped and face planted into the ground. She came up looking like a giant mud pie. I said “eeww!” Nevertheless, she wiped the mud out of her eyes, blew the dirt out of her mouth, and we sprinted past Cole Field House and down the hill. ` And when we got there, the rainbow was actually on top of pine cobble. Exhausted and defeated, we decided to call it quits.
Yes I obviously learned that it is pretty hard to catch a rainbow: hashtag liberal arts problems.
But, my life so far has been like catching rainbows; the rainbows are goals that I strive for money, B minuses, #1—again and again and again. But whenever I catch one there is always another one.
However I have found the most enjoyment in the actual chase because I have somebody as crazy as me to catch a freaking rainbow with. That is the day I fell in love with you, my brothers and sisters.
Throughout this whole journey, no matter what goal I was trying to catch or how far it was you have been there to run with me, even when you were caked in mud.
Although life seems to remember us more for what we got rather than how we got there, please never forget each other and our chase ‘til death do us part.
At times when I can go no further, I will remember our journey; I will remember you, and find hope to persevere.
Class of 2012, you may now kiss the bride!