Well, that went by pretty fast now, didn’t it? I’ve been going to school for 13+ years. 

And now, it’s over.  Finito. 

You might be thinking all those cliche things that come with graduation.

But I’m not.

I am ready to get out of this enclosure of mostly two-faced haters.

         A lot of you are selfish and tend to hate for no reason. Get mad all you like, but it’s true.

 And we all have to understand our part in the story and become conscious of the things we say and do.

 I have learned many things in my many years of education, but the one that sticks out the most is having an open mind.

     Believe it or not, you are not the center of the universe. You just have to open your eyes and see it. 

Open your ears and listen to what you are saying and how you are saying it.  And if you don’t or can’t then be prepared that your actions and words can hurt people.

I know this because it happened to me, and it still does.

When someone says “it’s easy for you to say,” it just cuts me in the worst way.

But how DO you know it’s easy for me?

Did you know I work 6 out of 7 days a week 80 percent of the time.

Did you know my shifts are anywhere from 5 to 9 hours at a time.

Did you know that even though I get up at 6am, I still make time for family and friends, and still have to pass classes.

Did you know that I  have things to worry about for my fall gap year program and HCC, scholarships.

And guess what?

None of it is easy.

And I certainly am not alone in feeling this way.

  And don’t get me wrong-  I am also guilty of making assumptions about other people.

    In fact,  my mom had a talk with me reminding me that I need to check what I say to people sometimes. My mom is pretty wise.

So, I took her advice.

I spent less time talking at people and spent more talking with them.

I listened more.

And guess what happened?

I found out some  pretty amazing things about people I know.

      All my friends have different opinions on everything, and this is because they all have different personalities and ways of thinking.

     I love hearing their opinions, the variety of them, and how they believe so strongly in them. It’s the best thing ever listening to someone talk about something they are passionate about, because I learn things I may not have ever thought of and facts I may not have taken into consideration.

     It does not happen right away, but over time the right mindset will come and it will change your perspective on everything.  And that helps so much in so many ways, but especially in arguments.

     In most arguments, people just talk, or yell at each other, and there is rarely any listening. You have to digest what they say and where they are coming from on their side of the argument before you react.

I try not to argue with people. Key word is try.

I hate arguing and disagreement. If I could I would stop it from happening.

 Sometimes I wish I could, I’m not going to lie. 

     But when you do argue with someone, it is better to keep your composure and not let emotions take over a conversation.

        In this world nowadays –  especially with this generation – people with different opinions are seen immediately as bad and wrong. I have seen this happen multiple times, and I have seen it tear friendships apart.

And the sad thing is, people trash their own friends because they don’t believe in the same things.

 Call me old-school – I’ll take being a classy communicator rather than an impulsive over-reactor any day.

     So, as we move on from high school the only way we will have a fighting chance as a generation, as a nation, and as a world is if we simply speak with purpose rather than impulse and listen more than we judge.

     There are about eight billion people on this planet, which means there are eight billion different stories out there. Maybe if you listen, you will get to hear some of them.