of growing up. I don’t like it. And I must challenge you to consider the idea that you don’t ever have to fully commit to the whole “adulthood” thing. Sure, you will have to pay taxes, feed yourself, and other important grownup stuff, but you don’t need to give up your willingness to let loose and have some fun. In fact, I fully recommend embarking on full blown silliness every once in a while too. Life can get very serious and downright difficult sometimes, but being able to take a break from all of that to find your joy and have a good laugh, well, it will help you your whole life long. And please, if you ever feel truly bogged down by how heavy the world can be, ask for help! There is always someone out in this big world who wants to help you. And as one of those people who wants to help you, I will give another piece of advice. Take care of you. If you find yourself in a rut, studying in a dark room, or working way too many hours… check in on yourself and consider how you’d be doing if you were a plant. When was the last time you drank some water, ate some food, or felt the sunshine on your face? Beyond that, be sure to catch some z’s, get a wellness check and do me a favor and put some sunscreen on when you do go outside. Recharging yourself allows you to keep going, better and stronger, so you, too, can give graduating seniors advice one day! Along with my heartfelt advice to give yourself grace, put yourself out there to meet new people, find laughter every day, and make time to take care of yourself, I understand that you are going to be getting an abundance of people telling you what to do. As you head to college or start a career, us “been- there-done-that” graduates are trying to share with you in hopes of making your life better or even to save you from hardships that we have experienced, but our experience is not your own. You may hear some good advice (mine, hopefully!) and maybe some intrusive, not-so- helpful advice as you embark on this next chapter… so, take what advice has been given to you with a grain of salt and most of all, be true to yourself and trust your gut. This is your life and you are going to do amazing things. Cheers to the Class of 2025! Proudly, Nola Family Magazine P.S. Please call home every once in a while, they miss your voice and love to hear from you!
NOLAFAMILY.COM | JUNE 2025 17
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