A Lot of Lasts

I'm currently reading John Green's 'Paper Towns' in which the main characters are in their last few weeks of High School, and are bonding over experiences such as 'Finals', Graduation and Prom. There's a certain sentence which I just read this evening which got me thinking back to my recent experience in this area and inspired me to write about it:

"It is so hard to leave- until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world."

I wasn't as emotional as I expected to be on leaving school. I think this was partly because by the end of sixth year I felt very much ready for a new challenge and adventure, to meet new people and to gain a little independence. But that's not to say that I wasn't sad. Sometimes, among my many 'lasts' I took a step back from being a part of the chatter and laughter and just thought 'I've spent 6 years with these people in this place ad goodness knows when or if I'll see them again. We will never all be in the same room again. Where will we all be in another 6 years time?'

I think the many lasts possibly helped me to detach myself a little. I mean, nothing was really the last thing! There was the last of each of my lessons, and then the last day. Then each exam was a last, especially the last one! Then I was back in for all kinds of rehearsals and to help with inductions. Then there was prom, and then the last school concert and then the last prize-giving.

To bring it back to the quote from the very talented Mr. John Green (which I think could be used in many leaving situations, but I'm gonna stick with leaving school just now!) the overall idea of never going back to my school days and routine is a little overwhelming, but now that it is behind me, I'm coping as though it never existed! I mean ok, its technically the school holidays so I guess the real test will be when I haven't had to attend school for a term, or a year! But my last day of classes was over 12 weeks ago and I'm quite into my current routine of working full-time and chilling with friends! To put that time into proportion, its just 7 weeks until I move to Uni!

And my school lasts are not alone in marking the end of a chapter in my life; my last night with my brownies and rangers units, my last music lesson, last family holiday (at least for a wee while), last district orchestra concert..... and the list could probably go on.

I think what I can summarise from my rambling here haha, is that, while school is undoubtedly something which plays a huge part in our lives and from which I have received so much support and opportunities to develop skills I will take with me into the 'real' world, it is just one thing in which we will experience lasts, yes, but also firsts. So many new adventures lie ahead and so, in the end, its the physical and mental act of leaving school that seems at the time to be the biggest drama in the world, but once you've left, the memories remain but it really doesn't feel like such a big ordeal after all!