This past weekend we celebrated our youngest’s college graduation. Her university held four different ceremonies, with hundreds of graduates recognized at each one. Proud families looked on and cheered as their students crossed the stage. Besides the degrees they earned in English, Computer Science, Marketing and the like, these graduates learned something about perseverance during a pandemic. Their resilience was inspiring. Their undergraduate years of college looked nothing like what they had expected. I got teary thinking about how proud I am of all of them, especially my daughter.
This year her university noted that their graduation gowns were made of 100% recycled plastic bottles, keeping 100,000 of them out of the landfill. Kudos to Appalachian State University.
My biggest question is this: When did cords become a thing you wear around your neck at graduation? I love that students who earned honors are recognized, but multiple cords with tassels were abundant. I wanted a legend or key to decipher what they all meant. And who decides what merits a cord? Every one of those grads earned a pandemic cord, but no one thought of that.
If I could give myself a cord of recognition for learning and achievement I’d be weighed down. Here’s a little list I started.
- I’d like a cord for surviving the pandemic, and you can have one too.
- Also one for attending 2022 graduation, staying in a small camper in the rain, while selling a house.
- Is there a pink cord for 16 years as a breast cancer survivor?
- How about a cord for being a bereaved mother? No one ever wants that one but it came with lots of learning and a bit of wisdom. It would be a gift to see who else has one. Maybe everyone who is grieving needs a cord we can all recognize, and tell each other, “Well done….hang in there.“
- I’ll also take a parenting cord, a cord for still talking to all my relatives, and one for staying married as part of a clergy couple who moves a lot.
- Finally, I earned two cords today by cleaning the oven and the washing machine. (You are welcome, future buyer.)
a writing prompt
Write about being a graduate. Whether or not it came with a diploma, what learning and knowledge have you achieved? What kinds of cords and recognition have you earned?
You might want to make a list, then choose one and write more about it.
