A Swan Song
A Swan Song
You wait, and you wait --all you ever want is
for the work to pay off. Until it does. And then you get here. Where the sun
comes out and it’s the middle of April. For 3Ls, graduation is literally days
away.
The countdown has begun.
Some of us have been counting down since we
started. Waiting for the moment when the announcements would be real and the
logistics were all in place. For some, the reality of it all, the finality of
three years being over, feels like jumping off a cliff. And so right now, we
cling to what we have left.
There is a safety in this place. This
building. In the familiar faces, the pace, the consistency. This is where we
spend our time. Where, for better or worse, we learned and studied, we carved
out a piece of the law for ourselves somewhere along the way here in these
hallways. We made friends, got some golden stories, ate too much vending
machine food. We have made mistakes and danced in our victories. Here.
Soon it is going to be time to officially turn
the page. To toast to a job well done and move on from here. To drive away from
the parking lot for the last time.
The last week of classes.
The last paper.
The last final.
Until then, in all the excitement, we will
linger. Amidst utter exhaustion and complete chaos, we will take longer study
breaks and walk to Starbucks. We will find time for happy hours and close down
the library -- because why not. We stay a little longer because a little longer
is all we have.
And maybe our gratitude will make an impression.
Maybe it will make time slow down and everyone else feel the happiness we feel.
Or maybe their countdown will begin.
23 days.
And counting...
