A Message To High School Seniors: Be Present.

Dear High School Senior,

I know how you’re feeling as a long chapter of your life is quickly coming to an end.

You’ve visited every college you’ve applied to, and probably have a few favorites that you wouldn’t mind moving into tomorrow. All you and your friends seem to talk about anymore is graduation, acceptance letters, and your fear of choosing a new roommate. Before you know it, you've all chosen the college you’ll be living at for the next four years, you'll have joined your new college’s freshman class Facebook group, planned your orientation weekend for over the summer, and started making lists of everything you have to do before you move away. It all seems so fun: leaving your high school, leaving your hometown, and leaving your family for a new place with new adventures. It’s certainly fun to think about, but suddenly the last few months of high school don’t even seem valuable anymore because you’re so focused on what’s to come.

Focusing on the future is without a doubt a good thing to do. It helps you set goals and plan for what you want to make out of the next four years of your life. But honestly, if the future is all you’re focused on, graduation day will come and go and before you realize that you’ll never be in the same place as your entire class again. Even if you’ve never even spoken to some of your classmates before, this will hit you hard. You’ll realize that as you were so focused on wishing move-in-day was tomorrow, you forgot to live in the moment at your last high school soccer game, or participate whole-heartedly in your last high school’s homecoming week. You didn’t have time to realize how much you’d miss those events when you’re gone because you were so focused on leaving.

After a fun summer spent making the most of every day with your best friends, move-in-day will come quicker than you ever thought. Suddenly, all the excitement you had senior year to get out of high school will turn into nerves and fear, as it becomes a reality. Your parents will stick around for most of the day and help get your room settled, but as you watch their car drive away from the parking lot, you’ll realize how much your life is truly about to change. You won’t be able to go to your favorite coffee shop every morning before school with your friends, or go out to dinner with your family on Saturday nights to your favorite restaurant (with your favorite buffalo chicken wrap of course), or be a part of family gatherings that happen at your own home when you’re away. Your dog won’t be in your dorm every morning to greet you when you wake up. Your sister’s room won’t be right next door anymore for those long talks in the middle of the night, but you’re hoping your roommate can fill in that gap.

The life you are so focused on and excited for is going to come, I promise. Move-in-day will creep up on you and suddenly leaving won’t sound like so much fun. The change you spend your whole senior year dreaming about won’t seem so dreamy anymore, if you take for granted so many little things about your home life that you won’t get to experience anymore. You’ll miss your old life, but you’ll adapt and adjust to the new environment. You’ll find a new favorite coffee shop at college, or a new favorite restaurant that you can’t wait to take your family to when they come visit.

But please, if anything, don’t spend your senior year thinking about how much “better” college is going to be. Live in the moment, and make every last high school event of your senior year the best one yet. Go on extra coffee dates at your favorite place, and choose more nights in with your parents – you’re going to wish you did. And then, when the day does come to say goodbye and start your new life, start making the most of every day and live in the moment in your new home. Always be present, the future can wait.

Sincerely,

A nostalgic college sophomore