Graduation feels like a party and a funeral at the same time, and that’s the proof it mattered.

Endings that are also beginnings carry both at once, and the mixture confuses people who expect to feel one clean thing. The sadness is not ingratitude. It is the size of what is ending making itself known, and if leaving cost you nothing that would be the sadder outcome.

Let both feelings stand without choosing between them. Say goodbye properly to the people and the places rather than to the building. And write down what you will miss, because in a year you will want an accurate record instead of a sentimental one.