Ah spring time. The time of year that we, here in the northwest, are occasionally reminded what the sun looks like.
It’s also about now that high school seniors begin to look forward to graduation, a day that seemed would never arrive. It’s hard to believe that it was nearly 23 years ago that I graduated.

Twenty-three years since I walked the hallways in my tight Levi’s and matching Levi’s jean jacket with the fake lambs fur on the inside. Remember those?

Twenty-three years since I sported The Mullet— business in the front, party in the back. (Side note: While it’s true that some things never go out of style, the Mullet thankfully did. However, it appears that some people in the greater Lake Stevens/Snohomish area didn’t get the memo.)

I think a lot of us had an incorrect view of graduation. We’d spent so many years studying, reading, developing and testing, that when we finally graduated we took a collective sigh and thought: “I’m finally done with school.” And, like many of our S.A.T. answers, we were wrong.

The book of Proverbs is dedicated to ongoing education. Proverbs 1:3 states the purpose of these proverbs.
“Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”
As we get older:

• We learn that living a disciplined life isn’t always easy, probably because most of us buck structure rather than embrace it.
• We learn to do what is right, only after we’ve made poor choices and discovered what isn’t right.
• We learn to do what is just and fair only after we have been treated unjustly and unfairly. 

• School continues as long as life is in session. Our education didn’t end when we tossed our caps in the air. Learning is a long-term concept.

So take a moment and think about what you’ve learned since graduation. And if you find this assignment difficult, perhaps it’s time to start paying better attention in your class, also known as your life.