The pictures will never be able to explain how we felt. In the stillness of the pictures, our excitement, our juvenile innocence, our fear cannot be seen, but it was there.No matter who we were at that moment, we all shared those feelings.We knew that it was the last dance, the last game, the last trip only because people reminded us of that. But, we never really knew those were the last times until those moments had already passed.

We never knew that we may never see each other again. We never knew that some of our “best friends” would become people that we barely know. I hear that some of you are doing well, breaking negative expectations that we all had when we walked across that stage.

But I also hear that some of you are stuck. Stuck in our hometown, stuck in your mindset, or stuck somewhere else. Regardless, you cannot progress because an aspect of your life is holding you back. Thinking about how I felt for all of you, every belief I had for your aspirations; it kills me that you are suspended in the hardships of life.

However, maybe you just need some encouragement. Look at those pictures and think of the hopefulness that flooded our veins. Remember how it felt to anticipate life and overcoming the challenges that we assumed would come. The feelings that we had before graduation are what matter. We were naïve, but we had faith in ourselves, in each other, in our futures.

Now, when we wake up to travel to our jobs, to our classes, to the events that claim our everyday lives, we forget what it was like to be so ecstatic to find out what we could be in the world. We get consumed with sad contentment. We do what we do because we have to and we accept this sadness as normal. But hey, you’re young and you should be restless. This is the part of your life in which it is okay to be selfish and to want more. Prioritize yourself and be foolish like you were in the moments before we walked across that stage. Believe in the world even when it tries to tear us down. Find something that makes you happy, even if it’s a small thing and cling to it. You have so much life to live so get out there and live it.

Remember who you were in those old pictures and note who you are now and who you want to be. Be patient with yourself because this life is hard. But, believe in yourself and strive forward. Find that juvenile optimism and don’t let that go. It’s okay to never quite grow up.