Our View: Welcome to the world, graduates

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 on graduating from high school. Your achievement will not go unnoticed, even though you’ve missed the traditional ceremony and all that surrounds it. You’re still graduates and we’re still proud. Plus you got to experience something unique.

As you go off to jobs, college, the military, trade school, gallivanting or however you choose to begin adulthood, we at the Pine Knot News would like to offer some words of advice. You may have heard some of them before. But we’re still happy to give them to you again.

Enjoy every moment because you never know what’s coming next. That doesn’t mean you have the right to be stupid, although no adult you know can ever truthfully say they haven’t been. Rather, we encourage you to appreciate what you have and what you’re doing when you’re doing it, whether it’s hanging out with friends or family, building something, going on a road trip, reading a great book or celebrating your grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

Make good choices. Stop and think and don’t be afraid to stand up to peer pressure. Adults have been telling you this since you were in elementary school but it makes a little more sense now, doesn’t it? As you go through life, it will make more and more sense. It’s up to you to be a strong, self-aware individual in charge of your own life.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people are nice and want to help. You are, right? So is just about everyone else. They’ll give you directions, show you the ropes at school or a new job, explain a difficult concept, befriend you. Knowing you can ask for help is an important skill. So is accepting help graciously.

College isn’t just about taking classes. It’s also about meeting new people, learning to get along with people different from you, dealing with people who challenge your way of thinking. Listen to them. Then make your own decisions. Most adults will tell you that many of their best friends were made during college. It’s a great opportunity. You’ll learn life skills like paying bills and getting along with annoying roommates.

Everyone has his or her own path in life, you will find yours. Be flexible. Listen to what the world is telling you. Keep your mind open to experience what is often right in front of you. It may not be what you expected. But you never know when your soulmate will appear, or the path to your success has started. Sometimes you have to go backwards in order to go forward. It happens to everyone. You’re not alone.

Making mistakes often is a sign that you have joined the club — you’re an adult. Welcome. Life can be an amazing adventure full of new discoveries. When you do make a mistake, learn from it and move on. You have plenty of new mistakes to make in the future. We all do.

Know that it’s never too late to change direction. Folks go back to college in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. They change careers multiple times. They get out of unhealthy relationships. They conquer addiction. You can do it, too.

Respect others. Love. Laugh. Know that people are always more important than things.

After you’ve gone out into the world, don’t be afraid to come home. You are always welcome. We need good people in Carlton County to carry on. And whether you come back or not, every once in a while, shoot us an email at the Pine Knot News and let us know what you’re up to. We bet it will be pretty awesome.