Graduation Season!

Graduation season is upon us - this time of year, there are graduation ceremonies for everyone, from children finishing kindergarten to those completing university education and beyond.

Graduation ceremonies are a celebration and an opportunity to reflect on learning, growth and experience; they mark the finishing of one step (the word graduate is derived from the latin gradus, meaning a step), and there's always going to be a next step. (until there's not, but that's a problem for another day)

What graduations do you remember? How do you remember them?

I remember when I graduated from high school - I felt confident, excited, like the sky was the limit. I had no idea where I was going or how I was going to get there, but I was on my way!

Six years later (yes, I know it's not the traditional math), graduating from University after changing and fine-tuning majors (part of the non-traditional math), more than anything else I was just relieved to have finished what I started. I wore a mask of confidence and excitement, but if I'm being honest with myself I was also quaking in my shoes, and not able to see the steps in front of me in any way that made sense.

I'm pretty sure that on both occasions, there was more celebrating than reflecting.

Life is a series of graduations.

Whether it's been months, years or decades since you officially graduated from something, odds are pretty good that you are moving through life step by step.

Some steps are bigger than others - employment, marriage, parenthood, retirement, illness, grief, caregiving, moving house; some feel less consequential - learning a new skill, making different choices about diet or health. We choose some steps; some show up unexpectedly, and in heartbreaking ways.

We are always graduating. And I wonder - what would it be like if we acknowledged more of our graduations, reflected on and celebrated our growth, and chose our next step?

• What is a graduation you have experienced over the past few months?

• What was the most challenging part of that step?

• What surprised you about it?

• What did you learn about yourself? How did you grow?

• What next steps are you considering?

• What learning and growth do you want to bring to your next steps?

And my favourite question - how are you going to celebrate?