Actually, for me, it happened yesterday. I've been trying to get into several different universities and colleges, splitting it about halfway between California and Illinois (Chicago area mostly). I came home yesterday afternoon and had a message from one of the staff at Benedictine University (just outside Chicago) telling me I had got in, but had also been awarded a scholarship for about 50% of the tuition. It was great news and the relief was incredible knowing I would be going to college and I wouldn't be selling my body to pay for it. That wasn't the biggest part of it though; what stopped me dead was about 2 hours later, I was sitting here perusing through the Toy Fair reports, when I realized that I'd be leaving home and probably wouldn't ever be coming back to California, at least to live. My family will be staying here (sister plans on starting a business in about a year after she gets her degree / parents both have jobs here) but I'm going to be going halfway across the country trying to make it myself. Albeit, I did live in Chicago for a time, but that was more than 10 years ago and I was very young when I moved away. It's an interesting feeling knowing everything is going to change, but I hope it goes smoothly.
Anyway, I stopped and thought about that for a long time last night. Not so dramatic as meeting old friends, or those who resemble them, or seeing the carnage of a motorcycle accident or heroin abuse, but it did make me stop and think for a while.