Graduation Looming

I just wanna graduate! Only a month away, and then I can start buckling down to become a hockey player. I want to become a hockey player and not just play hockey anymore. Next year, I'll be around people with the same or greater passion for the game as I have. I watched hockey for 4 hours straight last night, maybe longer. Something about the sport just captivates me; I want to be a hockey player more than anything. Don't get me wrong. I still want to get a good education and set myself up for a good life after my hockey career, but now I need to focus on hockey. I'm already a few big steps behind kids my age pursuing the same thing I am, but I will get there.

Graduation. It's exciting. I can't wait! I want to graduate and get on with my life. Focus on hockey. Get out of this social trap. Meet new people. Prove myself. People are happy to hear about my goals, however unusual it is for me to take a year or two off from college. They always say to me wistfully, "Ya know, if I could go back and go to college again, I wish I would have taken a year or two off before going to school." Or they say, "I'm so happy you're chasing your dream. Go after it while your legs are still young!" There is a lot of concern and interest in me that I hear from all my teachers and friends and friends' parents, but I am EXCITED, and that's really the only person who counts.

There's really no other word to describe the emotions I feel than excited. Why didn't I give myself the chance before? Why didn't I believe in myself like I do now? It doesn't matter, though, because now I am just that much hungrier than anyone else out there. I have to come out with a fire because I am flying very low under the radar. No one knows about me. Graduation, for me, will be different than it is for most others in the class of 2010. I am going to follow my dream, and most of my friends are going to college to find themselves, find what they're interested in, and, of course, party...It's definitely a different path that I am taking, but I can't wait to start.