Every photo we take holds a certain kind of meaning. It reminds us of simpler days, days we’ve enjoyed with our friends and family and it has us reflect on how much our lives have changed since then. The photo I decided to choose for this assignment reminds me of the end of a chapter in my life that I hold dear to my heart. It was taken after my high school graduation which was odd for some people considering the fact that I wasn’t wearing a cap and gown. The tradition my school has for graduations is to have the entire class wear a light blue dress shirt with navy blue pants or skirt. Every sport and club you join and awards you earn can be displayed on each individual shirt. As you can see in the photo, my entire shirt is covered in metals, patches, pins and chords that I’ve worked hard for over the course of 4 years. Even one of the metals I’m wearing represents my prefect 4 year attendance which represents how dedicated and serious I was and still am about school. The only thing you cant see in this photo is the mountain I’ve had to climb. The all nighters I’ve had to put, the family events I’ve had to sacrifice, the hundreds and I think maybe even thousands of hours I devoted and the literal blood, sweat and tears I gave to get to where I am today is something no one can see. On top of that, I had my own personal life to deal with which wasn’t kind at times. I know that I have an entire life ahead of me and I’m only just starting my life, but the experiences I’ve had taught me how to manage my time more wisely and how to stress less and just enjoy the moments we have while we’re young. Don’t get me wrong, I would never change my high school experience or have it any other way, but I just wish I had appropriated it more than I did. Its like when Andy from the office said “I wish there was a way to know you’re in “the good old days”, before you’ve actually left them.” So every time I look at this photo I feel bittersweet because I have both joyous and sad emotions running through my mind but I think that it’s just the way life is and we learn to adapt to it.
