Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
It surprised me how hard it was to leave high school. I enjoyed those years. My world was small, familiar and full of good friendships, and many of those people are still part of my life. University was the opposite. It was big, anonymous and lonely.
I was a commuter student, spending three hours a day on public transport, and campus never felt like home. Because every class had a different group of people, no close cohort ever formed around me. I made some friends, but there was no real shared life. When I finished my last exam, I walked out and never looked back. I even forgot to check my results until someone asked.
The irony is that I have now spent nearly thirty years working in the university sector as a lecturer and academic leader, but always in places where relationships mattered and community was built intentionally. Maybe that says something.
Eighteen months ago I went to a high school reunion and wondered whether it would still mean anything after all these years. It did. It was a wonderful night, and I felt proud to belong to that group. It reminded me that what makes a season of life rich is rarely the institution itself. It is the relationships that give them warmth and shape. And when those are missing, even important years can feel strangely empty.
The Afterword 
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