(The Beacon)
By The Beacon's Editorial Board
Portland weather has a cruel way of finishing up the school year.
Just when we're almost freed from from the shackles of academia, Portland becomes one of the most beautiful places to go to school in the whole of the United States.
The cherry blossoms are blooming, the birds are chirping, the bunnies are much easier to spot.
All of a sudden, your morning trudge to class, usually buffeted by a rain slicker, transforms into a scene from a Disney movie.
Buried in mid-semester work, we lift our heads for just an instant one day to see to our disbelief the sun is shining.
And suddenly it seems like the student population doubles, with so many people out to soak up the vitamin D into their now translucent skin. Wardrobes change overnight from flannel and beanies to shorts and sundresses in bright summer colors, because hey, it's 60 freaking degrees out right now!
Professors are getting sick of their own lesson plans and might even lighten the workload a little with just the right amount of complaining from students.
Things are just starting to get a little more fun around here … And then we have to get up and go, moving away from our friends and our beautiful campus.
The people who are most incredulous that summer is around the corner are the seniors, of course. It's not just the end of the school year for them, it's the end of an era. It's not just summer that's setting in, it's the rest of their lives. And they hope their best days aren't swiftly disappearing behind them, but we haven't really seen enough of the "real world" to be sure. And so a mood of bittersweet anxiety sets in.
The summer, senior year, they creep up on us all and we wonder where the days or years have gone.
We will miss our seniors who will go on to new and wonderful things. It may be things that they've planned for, but probably the best things will end up being the ones they didn't plan. We only hope they will remember us when they're off on their adventures. Although our seniors may be scattering, we can count on the fact that we will always have this place in common.
The guy down the hall might someday be your best man. Maybe your professor or adviser will help you score an interview for your dream job. Housemates might become friends with whom you stay in touch across the country or even across an ocean. The connections made on The Bluff extend much further than we can imagine.
So instead of waiting for it all to come to an end, cherish the little time we have. The cherry blossoms make everything, even finals and dead week, seem a little more sentimental.
