Dear Graduates,

Over the weekend this was the scene at many colleges across the country. For my alma mater this won't take place until May 30th. I have no words of wisdom for those graduates but I can quote previous commencement speeches and I will end this entry with a line I heard tonight. But first, back in 1996 Southampton graduates had an unusual guest speaking at their graduation, Kermit the Frog. And while a frog isn't my first choice to give me enlightenment Kermit said something that I try to read every time change is introduced to my life. He said: 

"And so I say to you, the 1996 graduates of Southampton Graduate Campus, you are no longer tadpoles. The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp. But I am sure that wherever I go as I travel around the world, I will find each and every one of you working your tails off to save other swamps and give those of us who live there a chance to survive. We love you for it. Enjoy life!"

I remember last year it was such a bittersweet time, I was saying goodbye to the greatest friends I had known and a life I had grown to love. I was going to graduate and soon have a wonderful job and live in a city I had never really experienced full time before. The reality soon after was harsh and one that many graduates are facing this year.

The recession has seemed to put a damper on hopes and dreams but I know now this isn't true. If it wasn't for the recession and unemployment I wouldn't have discovered what I truly want to do. I am able to read what I want to read instead of for classes. I am able to research new ideas and develop my own. I have discovered that I genuinely love architecture, interior design, and anthropology and have figured out a way to have it all. I know what I need to be happy and content with my life and work. This is a time to figure out what we all want to do with our lives. The plan is not set in stone, the plan is changing everyday. And now I leave you with another piece of enlightenment that I heard tonight from a very strange source.

I love the television show "How I Met Your Mother" and tonight, the season finale, opened my eyes. The main character, Ted, was facing a dilemma on his 31st birthday. His architecture career was going nowhere and he didn't want to take a crappy teaching position at a college. One of his friends, Lilly, said to him:

"Screw the plan. I planned on being a famous artist. Marshall planned on being an environmental lawyer. Robin planned on being a TV reporter. Barney planned on being a violinist. Look, you can't design your life like a building. It doesn't work that way. You just have to live it and it'll design itself. Listen to what the world is telling you to do and take the leap."

Congratulations Graduates! I hope you listen to the world and take the leap.