The Last First Day

So many of you know that I have been going to school which seems like the better part of my life. I could only afford to go part time, so that is what I did...for 8 years. For 8 years, I have been a student, I have sat in classrooms and watched the people around me get younger and younger while I worried about how I was going to be able to feed my animals or pay that bill that was looming above my head. But I persevered, with a determination that fueled me for 8 years. I have watched people move on, and my friends start their lives and although my life has never been empty, it has always revolved around school. So here it is, one of the days that I have been waiting for since I was 22. The light at the end of the tunnel is almost blinding now and my heart beats with such excitement and terror that I'm not sure which one to feel first. But I do know that I feel happy and for some reason Ive not been able to stop smiling.