Treating everything like your last means something a little bit different to everyone. Whether that means you put your all into this soccer game because you never know when your career may end or you go into school with a huge smile because a pandemic might mean that that's your last day. You may see someone important to you smile for the last time one day and not even know it. Your last dance performance is not a guarantee, your last day of high school is not a given. When you walk through life assuming everything will go your way and with the attitude that because everyone else got to have that senior night you should too, you are depriving yourself of the joys of life.

I agree that it is only fair that you deserve your senior night just as much as everyone in previous and future years, but when has life ever been fair? Looking at everything as if you'll get to do it for as long as you wish is stupid. Because there is no guarantee. God forbid it, but you could tear your ACL at your next practice and never play again. But if you're on the field and you take it all in and think, "I don't know what the future holds, but there is always a small chance that this is my last time on this field," you are more likely to give it your all, take in every sweet moment, and appreciate it and life at their fullest.

I started viewing life this way when my friend broke her ankle right before her final Nutcracker show. She had no idea her junior year that that would be her last time performing in our Christmas show, a tradition that played an enormous role in her life. It occurred to me then that each time I go on stage, there is no guarantee that I will go back on. So, every time I went out there and danced for the two and a half years I still had left of high school, I treated it like it was my last.

I sincerely hope that this is not your last. That you get all of the soccer games, dance performances, days of high school, and everything else that you could want. But ultimately, it's not realistic. Whether it be an injury, a pandemic, or just life getting in the way.

So, maybe your last day at school was your last day of school. Maybe you'll never hang out with your freshman dorm group of friends again, maybe your friends won't sit on your floor until 4 in the morning anymore, maybe you'll never dance with the same group of girls again, or maybe most things will stay the same. But you never know; you never know what's going to happen.

So the next time you are doing what you love, take a moment to appreciate it. And the next time you're with your friends, give them a hug and tell them how much they mean to you: they deserve to know. Life is too short to be anything but happy, honest, and loving. And as Pitbull once said, "For all we know we might not get tomorrow. Let's do it tonight."