Diamonds

Why does the word 'diamond' keep running up into my mind? Is it because I am, at the moment, perfectly content with myself, with everything? Most people see diamonds as perfect, exquisite stones carved from pieces and parts of the earth. They start sitting naturally in the earth, but are soon discovered and dug up to be moved..physically away and therefore gaining new meaning and perhaps even new symbolism to someone. The life cycle of a diamond is interesting..and lately I have seen similarities between a diamond's life cycle and that of my own.
It is summer..school is out, nights are late, and shifts at work are many (or soon to be). The sun stays out longer than ever, usually around seven-thirty or eight o clock it dips below the horizon line, making day somewhere else in the world and turning the sky above us into a dark blanket of night. Summer has always been an expected and most treasured break from routine. But this summer, I am finding, is completely different. I graduated just last Friday night, which ended up being a completely overwhelming and renewing experience..so much more than I ever thought. I guess just then, as I found myself surrounded by life-long friends, family, and other people I have met, I realized how incredible this summer's turn of events have been and will continue to be..
My friends (congratulations class of two thousand and eight) are finished along with me, and most of them are hopefully seeing similarities in their stories as their summers unfold. Some I know I will not see for a very long time, perhaps months, weeks, maybe even years..I certainly hope I see all of my friends again. In any case, this summer is purely a time of reflection of what has been and preparation for what is to come. I have two-sided thoughts about my future in Chicago and school in general..half of me wants to get on a plane right now and fly out to the mid-west, meet new people and open up my laptop on the outdoor patio of a coffee shop drinking some beverage with the word 'mocha' in its name..the other half of me wants to get in my truck, drive to my friend's house and play video games for eternity, completely forgetting about reality and where I'm supposed to be.
But I guess that's just it..all of my friends have made a choice as to where they will go to school next year, whether it's the mid-west (represent mid-western students!) or a few towns over. I am starting to appreciate the idea that everyone gets where they want to go by having been where they have been (the wording is tough, I apologize). But basically what I'm trying to communicate is that my understanding has grown..everything happens for a reason and everyone ends up somewhere for a purpose. I'm living in Chicago for the next four years (most likely, unless I transfer for whatever reason)..This isn't just a vacation I won on The Price Is Right, it's part of a calling..or at least I think so.
I'm extremely excited to go to college in Chicago, and I realized that I'm extremely blessed to be able to do so..my parents work harder than anyone else I know, and that is the main reason college in mid-west is possible for me. However, blessing me with an incredible (future) education isn't the only "diamond part of my life" right now. I am closer with my friends than I have ever been in my entire life..I'm sure the whole graduating and moving on situation plays a role in that. But it seems that even as my friends and I move away from each other, I can't get myself to sit in the dust and cry about it..all I feel is happiness for them and a general sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for what we've made it through.
As if best, life-long friends wasn't enough, the end of the school year came and went and I soon found myself in a wonderful relationship with an incredibly beautiful, talented, funny, caring (etc etc etc..Kerry you're amazing :) girl who I am still greatly connected to..I look forward to spending as much time with her as I can this summer simply because I can't stop thinking about her. It's actually quite interesting to me, especially as of late, how much someone can mean to another person. Ever since Kerry and I were in an actual relationship, my heart has grown softer, my thoughts grown more meaningful, and my outlook on life has changed..obviously for the better. It's incredible what a healthy relationship can teach you..she rubs off on me in so many positive ways, and I can't thank her enough for what she's taught me about existing on this earth and what it means to live (whether she realizes it or not). So I suppose an actual thank you is in order (however informal it may be)..so thank you kerry christman, for always being you, teaching me how to love and how to not care (sometimes!..), and mostly, thank you for simply being there for me..you're incredible, and I hope we're always friends no matter where the next part of our lives take us.
So briefly, with the help of my appendages and the interweb, I have given a quick overview of what has happened to me and what is happening to me. Of course the real question is..what will happen to me? What if my life cycle really is parallel to that of a diamond's? Perhaps by discovering myself, especially over the past few months, I have been discovered by others or the world. Perhaps my past, including my friends, family, teachers/education, and everything else, was the mass of glorious diamond stone sitting undiscovered under the ground. And now that summer has come and things are changing, thoughts are evolving, and people are moving on, this mass has been dug up and will be shipped off to be cut up into individual diamonds, perhaps rings that people will purchase and cherish for the rest of their lives. As everything has come together in my life, it all seems perfect..like a diamond. I realize these are probably just rough thoughts, the beginning of understandings I have yet to completely wrap my mind around, but I figure it's a beginning..and even precious diamonds start somewhere.