For the first time in almost 20 years, I found out what it’s like to again be a graduate.

I completed two months of physical therapy at Avera Therapy after my hip surgery. The fact that it coincided with high school and college events made me think of how any graduation is a special time.

A physical therapy graduation might sound different from an academic one. In reality, however, they have some important similarities.

For one thing there’s a sense of accomplishment. After I had surgery I was dependent on my walker. I had to half step my way up and down stairs. I rode the United Community transit buses that are equipped with lifts.

The therapy started out simple and progressed to more demanding exercise. I worked hard, both at the facility and at home. It was worth the effort. It gave me back my strength and muscular flexibility. I feel better than I’d felt before the surgery.

Graduation is also a time to pause and enjoy success. It’s a major step. It ushers in a new era, a different set of circumstances. It’s OK to celebrate first.

Graduates look to the future as much as the past and the present. I finished therapy with prospects for better health. A high school or college senior finishes school with the opportunity to move on to new kinds of success.

They can set goals for further studies, job possibilities, personal lives, or maybe a combination of all three. It largely depends on the graduate.

Some of them want to go straight into graduate school while others want to enter the working world on a full-time basis. Some will get married almost right away compared to others who take their time and focus on other goals first.

There are always some who leave high school or college without knowing what they want for a career. They might have to try things, find out more about what they don’t want, and then finally arrive at something they’ll want to choose.

I graduated from Marshall High School in 1986. That was almost 40 years ago. I then enrolled at Southwest Minnesota State University and graduated in 1990 with English and history majors and a Spanish minor.

Next I proved that it’s never too late to pursue a master’s degree. I was a reporter at the Independent for 14 years until I went to graduate school. SMSU had developed a good Master’s of Business Administration program, one that could lead to public relations or marketing.

I took time to work on campus during my MBA years. I graduated in 2007. I then had jobs with two soil and water conservation districts, United Community Action Partnership (then Western Community Action), and the Lyon County Museum before returning to write for the Independent.

I learned new things from all of my school and work experiences. After almost 20 years, I’d partly forgotten what it was like to graduate.

The handful of graduation receptions I’ve attended serve as a partial reminder. It was an even stronger reminder this spring when I graduated from physical therapy.

It made me again realize the satisfaction and happiness that a graduation brings. It’s a reward for a job well done. It helps someone to grow as a person.

As Winston Churchill said, graduation is the end of a beginning. It’s a foundation for the future. It caps off years of good memories. It means going out into the world, retaining the friendships made at school and making new friends because of new experiences.

Like many things in life, graduation is what someone makes it. It’s possible to just go through the motions, put on a cap and gown, and walk up for the diploma or degree.

The other possibility is to think seriously about the meaning of the occasion. Except for weddings and funerals, it’s probably the most symbolic moment in someone’s life. It’s something to treasure and remember.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent