Graduating During a Pandemic: What is Lost...and What can be Found

I'll be honest here: when I think about 2020's prospective graduates, my heart breaks a little for them. I'm sure everyone can agree that it is just so unfair to these hardworking young adults to miss out on so many of the memories that, for me, represent such a pivotal milestone in my path towards adulthood... but not in the way that may seem immediately obvious.Of course, missing the cumulative graduation ceremony is heartbreaking for so many teens and their parents who have worked so hard to get to this point. And yet, for my teenaged self, the ceremony really wasn't that big of a deal and I wouldn't have been disappointed to miss it. I was ready to get out and the graduation ceremony was the final obligatory event I had to participate in as a high schooler.What breaks my heart more is that they're missing out on something that I didn't realize I had at the time, and which my graduation from high school signaled the end of: the freedom of childhood. I remember (with the emerging clarity of nostalgia) those late nights with my friends, hanging out at the diner with nowhere to go and nothing to do but drink chocolate milkshakes and talk about the end of year parties. I remember working my job at the local Italian pizza place and the extended family I had there, the late summer nights winding down with my fellow waitresses and the cooks (the "guys in the back"), listening to their stories and folding napkins - again, with nowhere else to be but home and nothing really to worry about except saving enough money to be able to take a long-planned road trip with my best friends. This road trip was a 14 day adventure with no itinerary, no reservations, and a whole lot of open time to just be. Of course, if you had asked me at the time I would have said I was so worried about so many things - stressed was a term I used a lot, and I was right. I had a lot going on. But, I had no idea at the time but this was the last season I would have the freedom to hang out in the town I grew up in, with no rent to pay, no career to build, no classes to get ahead on, and no plans to make. That beautiful "transitional" phase of life where you have closed off your prior obligations and the new ones haven't yet begun. From that fall onwards, the new responsibilities simply overlapped with the old and the freedom of childhood fell quickly, unceremoniously, into the past.So, when I think about what kids at this juncture in their lives have lost, this is what I am the most upset about. They can't share in this carefree moment. This milestone - rather than feeling like a jumping off point to a new life - must feel like a mundane tunnel-visioned version of the old. I am positive, though, that these smart, adaptable teens will come up with their own creative ways of getting through and - dare I say it - appreciating this milestone for what it is. If you have a young adult graduating this year I am sure you are especially in tune to trying to make this time as meaningful as possible, because it would be such a shame to bury this moment in the stressful chaos of a global pandemic. This moment in time matters and should be commemorated. I call this "finding the meaning in the milestone."We have plenty of simple, chic pieces that would make lovely graduation gifts for the milestone achiever in your life. Many are customizable, all are timeless, so they'll be able to carry these into the many phases of adulthood that have yet to come. I think, especially for a piece like this, choosing a local option that represents the time and place of this moment in their lives is so impactful. And, if you have an idea for a custom piece, just reach out! We're happy to walk you through options to fit your budget and design goals. Let's do our part to commemorate this year's graduates in a beautiful and timeless way that they'll cherish out of childhood and into the messy, stressful, responsibility-laden world of adulting. For help with ideas, inquiries, or to purchase email us at inquiries@alxandcompany.com.