Dear Graduates: These 4 Choices Make a Rich Life

There are a few daily habits that call us to live fully, love deeply, and take the chances that truly matter.

Graduation marks the completion of an academic accomplishment, but we continue learning through work, relationships, and daily experiences. kali9/Getty Images

Dear 2026 graduates,

You can’t see me, of course, but you should know that I’m an old guy. Now and again, two lines from T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” bring a smile, the ones in which he says, “I grow old ... I grow old .../ I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” So far, I’ve felt no inclination to roll up my trousers, but I have grown old. We’ll come back to Prufrock directly.