(originally appeared in The Patterson Irrigator)

Pomp and mylar balloons. Bright, toothy smiles. Polyester blend gowns that rustle in the breeze. It’s graduation season. We can see it— feel it. Heck, we can even smell it! The flower bouquets that fill stadiums on graduation night? It’s that grandma floral smell reminiscent of a 1980s linen cabinet. While it’s musty and makes you sneeze, it’s full of love.

All graduations are special. High School. College. Each one is momentous. But the Class of 2024 had to overcome more obstacles than most. They had exams, projects, homework, extracurricular activities— but also a worldwide pandemic that upended all our lives. All teens have stressors, of course— like pop quizzes, bad breakups, and zits the size of Mount St. Helens. But the Class of 2024 had to worry about a lot more than that.

The screen of a 14-inch Chromebook replacing time in a classroom. Parents losing income to pandemic cutbacks. Cafeteria lunches with friends swapped for a cold sandwich at a lonely kitchen table. Loved ones hospitalized from COVID— some never to return home again. Short goodbyes. Sometimes, no goodbyes.

This is a LOT to deal with. When most of us were teens, our problems paled in comparison. For example, if the snack bar ran out of Hot Cheetos, you’d be convinced we were dying of starvation. If friends didn’t have enough money for a Friday night out, you’d think they had been exiled to Siberia. Does this sound dramatic? Why, yes. But what else were we to do in the era before TikTok and smartphones? We’re lucky our whiny tantrums weren’t documented for all eternity.

Unlike us, the Class of 2024 had real problems. Cancelled recitals, proms, athletic events. Rushing to the bathroom during an Algebra Zoom break, only to remember there was no toilet paper because idiots hoarded it like pirate treasure. Trying to give a presentation online only to have your cat stroll across your keyboard and flash his butthole to your entire class.

For dealing with this madness, and all the extra pressures heaped upon the Class of 2024, it seems fitting that we give these high school and college grads a special shout-out.

Graduates— we are so proud of your determination, your resilience, and for staying focused and steadfast as the world around you was so uncertain. Was it fair that this happened during these special moments in your life? &*#% no! But you pulled through. You made things happen. And we couldn’t be more honored to give you the recognition you deserve. So, enjoy it. You’ve earned it.

And, lastly, we can’t forget the parents, guardians, educators and coaches that helped the Class of 2024 get to this point. Your headaches, sacrifices and mandatory WebEx meetings weren’t in vain. So, if you shed a few happy tears on this day, that’s okay— you can just blame the flowers.

Congratulations to all!