The entire second semester of high school, after deciding what college I would be going to, I couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming joy and excitement that I would be going off to a school four hours from my house and experiencing the life of a college student. The adventure, the newness, the journey of college appealed to me so profoundly! High school was amazing for me and I felt assurance that college would be the same. I spent months upon months searching for the perfect college, and after finding it, it was all I thought about.

Nothing could beat that feeling, and I had my heart set on moving on and moving out of that high school life that was "so last year". To me, I was soon going to be that new college gal, and I had decided that I would have my heart set on the future and only that. Though, in that decision, I had forgotten something truly magnificent and important: the present. And it is not until now, that so much has changed and some important things have fallen through, that how sincerely important it is to focus on the present at such a trivial age as 18.

Now, some may disagree with me. Some may say, "The present isn't nearly as important as the future." But some day, your future will be your present, so why not accept and embrace the present before it becomes the past? That is a question I would have normally fought, saying, the future is where all your dreams lay, and that is where I'd wish to be.

It wasn't until now, three days before I was supposed to move into my college dorm, that I had found out there was a change of plans and I would have to stay home and go to a local college in order to fulfill my future. It also wasn't until this point that I had realized I had wished so much of the present away over these last few weeks, that I had no time to appreciate some of the very special memories I had created for myself over the last few weeks of high school, tand the beautiful summer. When something would go wrong, I'd wish it away. When something would go right, I'd be too focused on the fact that I'd be leaving soon to truly appreciate its significance.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had learned how substantial it is for one to fully appreciate what they have until it's gone. I had been set on the school, the life I had wanted, the new goals I had in perspective, until two weeks before move in came, and I had found out some personal circumstances had forced me to change my plans, alter my route, and live at home for the first year of college. This devastated me. Not only because it would mean everything my heart had been set on would no longer soon be in my possession, but the fact was that I had wished away time with friends and family and I could never get that back.

So, if you as readers, could take away one thing from this article about the biggest mistake I made at the age of 18, it would be this:

Enjoy the moments as they come. Live in the present, and embrace the ones you have around you before they become the faces you see at the next class reunion. Enjoy the graduation parties, the food, the laughter. While you're standing on that ocean shore, that stage receiving your diploma, the cookie aisle while you're grocery shopping with your mom, or sitting across from your best friend at your favorite restaurant; stop for a second, recognize what is around you, and take it all in. Give your friend that long hug, and tell your little sister how much you love her. Take your dog for a walk, and go on that fishing trip with your dad. Those are the moments you will cherish for years to come, and that hold the most meaning in your heart. Your future, yes, is ahead of you, but that is where it should remain. Focus on the now.