The Time Has Come

The time has come to let things go. Whether it is drama that started years ago, love for a specific class, waiting for the next sports game, or just school in general; it is time to move on. For some it may be hard to get to the next steps in life, and for others it may be the easiest thing ever. Personally, I won’t have too much trouble moving forward; at least, not from school. Hello, my name is Alysha Goulet. Many students may have gone the humorous route when writing their commencement address, but I did not; and I apologize in advance. I have done well in school, but it is not something I absolutely loved. I did it because I had to, so why not do it well? Letting go of school life is not something that I am going to struggle with; however, I have other things that I need to let go of, and get by.

On March 9th, 2026 I lost my cat. His name was Bruce. He was my first pet and a rescue who lived with us for about a decade. On March 9th I was taking a nap and woke up to hearing my mother’s dog attacking Bruce. It was horrendous to wake up to. Both pets were put down. Bruce, because he was suffering, and the dog, because he was a safety hazard for my two remaining cats. I will always miss having Bruce sleep with me at night, the others don’t. I will always miss, in a roundabout way, how he would scream the house down whenever it was time for him to get his wet food. I will always miss how soaked he got his catnip toy from all his drool. I will always miss just being able to look for him around the house. I miss Bruce everyday, and will always remember him. I will especially remember him through my tattoo. However, he is not something I can dwell on forever, and I know that it is best if I let him go. What’s done is done, and if I keep holding on it is just going to bring me down. 

If something does not benefit you, it might be best to not keep it around. This is something that I learned recently, through both losing my cat and school. In the beginning of the school year I believed that I wanted to go to school for welding. I wanted to go to a school in New Hampshire that three of my LRTC classmates are going to. I thought that it was a good fit. However, about two months ago, I realized that the only reason that I wanted to do more schooling was because I knew people doing the same path as me that were going to school. If I followed them it would have been something familiar. Nevertheless, it would not have been my path. I don’t believe that I am a college person, but I almost put myself there just so I would have been comfortable. Although, $20,000 in debt would not be very comfortable. I have been able to thrive in a comfortable environment, but it’s time to let go of that time. 

Staying in your comfort zone does not allow for many opportunities for growth. Bruce was my comfort cat. By slowly letting him go it has allowed me to give more and more attention to my other two cats, even if it is unwanted attention. Choosing my own path and not going to school has opened up more job opportunities, as round about as that sounds. While I still had plans to go to school in New Hampshire I was limited on jobs since I would have been about two hours away. However, now that I am staying here I can do nearly whatever I want for work. I now have the opportunity to at least attempt to work with my brother and one of our mutual friends at the post office, and attempt to work at BIW for welding. Now is the time to grow. Let go of being comfortable. Let go of past burdens. I know I will, or at least I will try. All of it is in the past now. Nothing can be done about it anymore. It is time to let go.

“The Graduates” by Game of EPL5 & LUMIX G20/F1.7 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

“welding” by dawnnakaya is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.