Moving Forward

As of today, I am finished with my requirements for my undergraduate degree at Big State University.  It's very much a weird feeling.  At this point in my life, four years is a significant chunk of time.  More to the point, graduation sort of sneaks up on you.  You get so absorbed in the day-to-day life of being a college student (problem set, problem set, paper, midterm) that you forget that the terms are going by and goodbyes are looming closer.

I'm not leaving my current city just yet - I have a couple jobs here for the summer, and so I'll be hanging around for a few months.  That alone makes the idea of graduation a little easier to deal with, since it becomes more of a process than a single day.  On one hand, I am really excited about being finally DONE.  The sense of accomplishment is tremendous, just because graduation is an acknowledgement that, in my case, I've gotten myself through some really tough classes and had some really great learning experiences.  On the other hand, I'll be really sad to leave this place:  like most college students, I've met my best friends here, and I've grown attached to the place where I live.  I have an awesome church community and a great, supportive department, and leaving all of these things behind is bittersweet.

The picture here is of the star Mira, a well-known object that's streaking through space incredibly quickly - and leaving a huge trail of luminous gas behind.  This image was taken with the satellite GALEX, or the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and is available through NASA.  While the connection is tenuous at best, it really reminded me of the way my life feels right now - moving just a little too quickly for comfort.  Plus, as always, it's just a beautiful image and a really amazing object. 

So while I'm truly excited to be moving on to graduate school, my thoughts will be lingering here for just a little bit longer.  Before the ceremony this weekend, I'm enjoying the time to hang out with some of my best friends and savor the feel of being on this campus.  There's always a little time to look back before moving forward.