Word: Elated

 

elated

[ih-ley-tid] / ɪˈleɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. very happy or proud; jubilant; in high spirits.

   an elated winner of a contest.

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                   Benny could feel the tears forming. He wiped them away and continued clapping. He had no idea tears of joy were real things. He had always thought it was an expression, or something that only appeared in fiction. But now he knew what it was like.

                   He had watched his baby girl up on that stage. He had watched her give her valedictorian speech. His wife sat next to him with a huge smile on her face. His son sat next to him, clearly less interested, but at least trying to pay attention to his big sister.

                   Benny had no idea he could feel such pride. That was his daughter on the stage. His little girl giving the speech. And that was his kid getting her doctorate. All from a family that had never cared much about education. Benny himself had never even considered going to college. His wife was similarly only in possession of a high school education.

                   And yet, somehow, they had made a kid smart enough to not only become an honest to goodness doctor, but to do so at the very top of her class. How that had happened was anyone’s guess, but it had.  He had always wondered about the parents who gushed about their kid’s academic achievements. Now he knew he would be doing the exact same thing.

                   How could he not. Seeing how happy she was to be up on that stage. That light in her eyes when she got her diploma. All that hard work she had put in, knowing it was all worth it. And it really had. For all of them. Just knowing it was possible for a family like theirs was eye opening in many ways.

                   Benny had always thought that education was not needed. That in many ways it was a scam. You just needed enough to know how to read and do some basic math, and anything else was just silly. But seeing his daughter up there? Seeing her happiness, and feeling his own pride at her accomplishment, made him rethink that.

                   Maybe if he went and got a proper education, maybe he could be up there as well. Probably not as a valedictorian, but still. He was not sure if that was the right path for him though. He was too set in his ways by now. No, he would make do with his kids. His baby girl was just doing so well for herself, and likely would continue to do well, that he could rest easily even if he never stepped foot on a college campus.

                   His boy was more like him though. The kid had a lot of potential, and Benny could not say he was really squandering it by ending his education at high school. Rather, Benny’s son was aiming to be quite the skilled mechanic. And that too, was worthy of pride, just in a different way.

                   Benny watched as his daughter left the stage after receiving her applause for her graduation speech. Yes, his kids were going to go far, no matter their opinions on higher education. And for Benny, that was all anyone could ask for.