The feeling seemingly came from out of nowhere.
Last Sunday morning, May 20, 2012 began as any other Sunday
morning. Woke up, showered, shaved and shuffled aimlessly about my father’s
house. Then I decided to surf the various news sites that I visit on a regular
basis: Yahoo News, iO9, Ain’t It Cool, IMDB, and /Film – and for the most part
I read news that I had already known of; nothing spectacular.
While surfing around imdb.com
I stumbled upon an article
about Kristin Wiig’s last night on Saturday
Night Live. I read the summary of
the embedded video clip, and thought, “Challenge accepted,” when I read HitFix's challenge not to get “a little sniffly” watching the clip of her farewell.
As I watched clip, I wasn’t “sniffly; instead I became
wistful. The skit began like any other last skit for the show, and in this skit
guest host Mick Jagger played an emcee at an end of the year assembly for high
school graduates, and he introduced “Tristan” as a graduate who will be missed
after seven years (“She was held back”).
Members of Arcade Fire,
at the direction of Principal Jagger began the piano intro to the Rolling Stone’s “She’s a Rainbow” and
Kristin Wiig removed her graduate gown to reveal her actual attire. She then
began dancing with members of the cast, some individually, and some in groups.
She became visibly emotional when she danced with her
longtime co-stars Jason Sudekis and Bill Hader. With each dance partner I could
see that realization on her face that although she would more than likely be
welcome back to the show, she would never be able to truly recapture the magic
that she created and collaborated on while a cast member.
As she finished her dance with creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, the
band transitioned into a rousing rendition of another Stones classic, “Ruby Tuesday.” During the line in the song , “And
I’m gonna miss you” Kristin Wiig emphatically pointed to the audience, both in
the studio and at home, sending us off with her best wishes as well.
With my recent graduation, the previous Saturday afternoon,
I believe it was that moment as I watched her nationally say goodbye to the
television show that made her a presence in the entertainment community when I
began reconciling my emotions about my own graduation. I didn’t get a send off
such as hers, although my graduation was televised on community access, but I
did feel a sense of accomplishment that she might have felt that night, and
possibly that feeling of being welcomed back, yet not quite at home.
I will attempt to capture my feelings about my journey back
to college after more than a decade away and the events that took me to
accomplishing my goal of graduating. Kristin Wiig’s farewell was emotional
impetus for me to begin re-tracing my steps in my journey to success.
I don’t
know how I can thank all of my family, friends, and co-workers who made that
feat possible for me. Without their support, I would be writing a story of how
I should have stayed in school and attained my degree; instead, I will tell my
story of another victory among defeats in my continuing education that is life.
