Seniors: One chapter ending, another beginning

Congratulations, seniors.
   You’ve made it through, you’ve finished your government-required four years in high school.
   Though it might seem like much, you’ve succeeded where 30.7 percent of the country has failed.
   Many of you are going on to a postsecondary school and that merits a pat on the back. It doesn’t matter if that school is Sierra College or Stanford, you all deserve to be recognized for it.
   Some of you are joining the military or the civil service – your sacrifice and courage is beyond words to describe.
   And others still are stepping into the workforce full-time, a road we all eventually travel.
    So on May 29, 2010, walk that stage with pride. It’s just a step on the road of life, but it’s a major step, a beneficial step.
   You’re graduating from high school, the starting gun has fired and you’re off to the races.
   That being said, don’t let this step be your last – don’t let that starting gun distract you from finishing the race.
   Think about where you want to be in the next five, 10, 20 years. Don’t forget your dreams, don’t lose track of your goals. You only live once, so don’t let the “here and now” change where you want to be in the “then and there.”
   You may not even know where or what you want to be, but don’t let that impede you. Though you may not have set specific goals, I’m sure most of you know what obstacles can hinder you from ending in a positive location.
   You’re not 18 forever.
   And soon, if not immediately, you’ll have to think of things like your career or your family or your home.
   So in the future, when you’re debating whether or not to drive home after you’ve had a couple or deciding whether you truly need that $100 shirt when your debt is already eye popping, think about your future.
   Think about what you want in your life, what things you wish to accomplish.
   Think about who you can hurt, what lives besides your own you can destroy.
   Think about whether you want to buy many shirts in the future or spend five years paying off the last.
   This isn’t meant to scare you, it’s not meant to keep you from making risks (we all know living is in the fun), we merely want you to think.
   There are some risks that just aren’t worth the consequences.