What would I have wanted as a graduation gift?
My family did not celebrate my high school graduation at the scale the families in the US do; we celebrated but at a much smaller scale. I graduated many moons ago from high school in India. My parents although confident that I would pass high school, were more concerned on whether I would score enough to get into a good college.
Frankly, I did not shatter family records. I had decided two years earlier not to opt for medical or engineering; two careers most often opted by graduates in India, at the time. Instead, I decided to join Bachelors of Economics program at the Delhi University. I later managed to obtain Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics. That year I recall celebrating on a much bigger scale because no one including me thought that I would survive the grueling two years.
High school graduation is a big deal in the US and rightly so. It is a milestone and should be celebrated with much fanfare. We need moments of pause in the rush of everyday life. All rites of passage have a special meaning, a special emotion, a special bond and it’s very functional to have an opportunity to do that. Graduation is a rite of passage marking a concrete time when you have accomplished something that will change the way you live your life. The celebration also symbolizes a new chapter in the lives as well as the passage of time.
I loved it when few years back I celebrated my daughter’s graduation from kindergarten. Each milestone represents a small win; getting closer to your ultimate goal of successful career.
I have often wondered, how I would have liked to celebrate my graduation. Over the years my perspective has changed. Things that were important to me in those days are no longer important.
If I could turn the clock back and celebrate my graduation all over again, I would have loved to spend special time with my mom who was a key influence in every sphere of my life including my education.
I would have loved a trip just with her to her favorite places, a nice meal at a restaurant followed by ice-cream; her favorite. I would have taken lots of pictures of the day to capture every moment and relive it now. It would be as much celebrating my graduation as much as honoring my mother’s contribution in my life — just one of the many ways.
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