The last month has been the graduation season for high schools and colleges. Young eager graduates go through the rituals of going out to face the world. Robes and sashes. Diplomas. Awards. Certificates. The accoutrements of graduating from a phase in your life and moving to another one.

I've never given a graduation speech (I was once approached to do it but it didn't work out). As a high school teacher I often gave a mini-graduation talk to my seniors. I'm not sure how much attention they paid but..well, you've gotta try!

Twenty six years ago I sat in a folding chair in a football stadium not far from where I sit now. I was a senior in high school. It was graduation night! The speaker was a gentleman named Jack McKenzie. He was a local chief of police and a long time law enforcement officer in this area. I can't tell you anything Jack said except for this: He told my graduation class, "find something you love and keep doing it." Good advice. I'd like to think I followed it.

If I could go back in time, nudge Jack off to the side, and give a speech to my class it might go something like this:

Hey you guys out there. Quit thinking about the six pack you have in the car and how much sex you think you'll get tonight. Listen to me. I'm from the future and I have a pretty good idea about what is ahead of you in this life. I won't give you any bullshit about the world being your oyster or open roads ahead. I'll tell you the truth. Ready?

You're young, but you won't be young forever. Girls? Your breasts won't always stand up like that. Guys? Your equipment won't always work as good as it does now. Your body will age and things that seem easy to you now will become a strain. No pills or plastic surgery will stop nature's process. So what can you do? I'll tell you what you do. Savor your youth...every single minute of it. Go climb some mountains. Surf some waves. Kiss that girl. Take that trip. Don't put it off. Wanna backpack across Europe? DO IT. Wanna chase a dream? Chase it now.

You think you're all done with education. Guys, you haven't even begun. You'll forget 90% of what you were taught in high school. Ask people my age if they remember all the parts of the frog we dissected or all the theorems we learned in math. Those standardized test scores? Forget them. That isn't whats important. Life is all about learning, don't you see? From the moment we suckle our mother's breast till we draw our last gasp of air...we learn. Be open to it and treasure it. There is SO MUCH to learn. So many great books and poems to read. So many wise people that you can draw knowledge from. The Bible. Shakespeare. The great works of so many writers. Don't you dare stop reading and learning. Its what makes us grow. Its what makes us feel alive.

Some day you'll fall in love and find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe you already feel that way. Don't get married now. You aren't ready. There are people who get married at your age and do very well, but the deck is stacked against you. Love isn't a fairy tale and Hollywood wouldn't know what it is if it bit a well paid actor in the ass. Throw away those romance novels and forget the movies. Marriage and commitment are HARD work my young friends. It isn't easy. But when you do find it? Its more powerful than any drug. Its brighter than any painting. Love is what separates us from the beasts of the jungle. When you find it....seize it, hang on to it, fight for it tooth and nail. If you falter, get up, find it, and fight for it again. We all need it. We all want it. You know what? We can all have it. Maybe not when we want it. Maybe we have to wait. But its there. Would you like to know something? All the fairy tales, romance novels, and movies can't possibly capture the feeling of someone who loves you resting their hand on your leg.

I'm guessing most of you don't have trust funds to sustain you in the lifestyle to which you are accustomed. Most of you will have to work to pay your way. Don't frown. Work can be one of life's richest and most rewarding experiences. Hey Jack? I'm gonna use your quote again. Find something you love and keep doing it. Forget about money. Don't let that guide what you do. Wanna be a doctor? Do it because you want to save lives not because you want to drive a Mercedes. Wanna work with your hands. Do it and be proud. Find your passion and live it. My passion is to work with kids. I live it and I have loved every single minute of it. You find yours...art, music, writing, medicine, science, teaching, computers, acting....whatever it is, go find it and let it be one of the cornerstones of your life. I'd rather live in a tent and do what I do than live in a mansion and do something else. There is nothing sadder than seeing someone my age drag their ass out of bed every morning, go to work, and hate it. No amount of green paper is worth that. Cars and boats won't make you happy. Fancy vacations won't make you happy. Passion for what you do? That will.

Don't take yourself too seriously. There is laughter to be found everywhere out there. Learning to laugh at yourself is a valuable thing. Hang out with people who make you laugh and smile. Seek out those who live with joy.

I want all of you to turn around and look at those people behind you. Yes, look right now. Your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends, and your siblings. Some of those people won't be around when you come back here for your 10th reunion. Or your 20th. While you're having fun being young take some time to be with them. Tell your friends you can't go to the beach today. You're going to hang out with your grandfather and go fishing. The beach and your friends will be there tomorrow. Your grandfather might not. The people that have loved you, molded you, and help you get here tonight? Don't forget them because you're an adult now. If you do, you'll damn well regret it some day.

I know the ice is probably melting in your coolers right now. I could go on. I could quote poetry or excerpt a speech by a political figure. Hell, you'll forget that before you drive out of the parking lot tonight. But I hope you don't forget this. Life is short and it will go by quickly. Go out there and live every single second of it. You'll have failures. We all do. Its how we face them that determines our destiny.

My young teenage friends? Go kick some proverbial ass. Tell them Brian sent you. Now toss those hats in the air, have some fun tonight, be safe, and get on with your lives.
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