My life is a beautiful adventure that God intended for me to live to the fullest, remembering that every day is a gift and should not be taken for granted.
It is that critical moment in the process of senior year. That moment where the magic of childhood begins to disappear and the frightening realization of the future begins to emerge. The endless parade of college visits, FAFSA reports and ACT scores that all lead up to the most frightening moment when we decide the pathway of our future. As my friends and peers begin making those decisions, I slowly begin to find out that life is not always the fairytale ending that we thought it was going to be.
No, I’m not being pessimistic, nor am I depressed, frankly I am being realistic. All our lives we had been pumped with the ideas that we could be whomever we want, do whatever we want and that one day we will all be famous. Sadly, this fictional reality that everyone spoon-fed us from kindergarten is beginning to become what it truly is: fiction. Now, that is not to say that one day some of these inspiring people that I have spent all of my adolescent years will one day rise to fame, but even if our future isn’t as promising, we all have a story that is currently in progress of being written.
Although I am not yet experiencing the drama and stress of deciding on a college, I see many friends who have decided where they are going to continue to write their story next year. That is when it hit me. I have spent the last 13 years telling myself that I will have one more day to have the courage to talk to that person, tell that story, tell people how I really feel, who I really am, but my time is slowly ticking away. With only four or so weeks let in the first semester of senior year, my epiphany creates a feeling of regret and despair.
What if, by holding myself back, I have missed the opportunity? Lost a friend, slept too much, and cared too much about what everyone thought of me. Six months from now, I will walk across a stage, receive a diploma and never see some of my classmates again. With that thought I figured out that there is no point in my making excuses for why I didn’t do something. Obviously this has to be taken with a pill of caution. Why not talk to that person, why not apply to that college, why not take a friend out to lunch, just because? If I don’t do these things, one day my high school experience won’t be one I want to tell my children to give them inspiration on how to live, but one to tell them how not to live.
So, here I go. Here comes the celebration of life, the celebration of the only time we have to spend together, because like it or not six months from now, we will all part paths and embark on the greatest journey of all: life. No more holding back. Talking to that person, going out with friends, choosing to be the most unique you there can be. One day it would be a thrill to come across a fellow classmate in the future and here that I left my mark, a story of my own. That is what I want my legacy to be. What will yours be?
