I can't tell you how many times a week I claim that I simply cannot wait for life after high school. I'm so excited about my future- all of the excitement, the opportunities, the new experiences, new chances, new people... Boy, am I ready. I have so much to look forward to!

But when I tell you that I cannot wait- know that my statement is not completely true. I can wait. I will wait, and I am waiting. I'm taking life one step at a time right now. Every single moment is powerful, important, blessed, and so meaningful to me.

If I was to look at my life all spread out in front of me and think about the countless things that I will have to do, the obligations that I'm going to have, and the tough decisions that I'm going to have to make at some point- I could drive myself completely and utterly insane. If I was to worry about things that didn't need to be worried about quite yet, I would have a genuine breakdown.

So, this year I made a decision with myself. I'm going to take life one step at a time. I'm going to focus on each task, decision, or problem that I approach every day each individually and efficiently. I can't even explain how much this decision has changed my life. It's a challenge every single day. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed because I start to worry about things that aren't currently affecting me. I've realized that these unnecessary fears, stresses, and anxieties are useless. If I work as hard as I possibly can right now, stay true to myself, prepare for my future as much as I possibly can, reflect and grow as a person whenever I find a second to breathe, and enjoy life while living in the moment all at the very same time- I'm going to be more than fine.

Every second is a treasure. I choose to make the most of them, I believe that it is possible to live joyfully in the moment, and still prepare to live my best life in the future.

When I think about my future, I feel so overwhelmingly excited, hopeful, and happy that I nearly convince myself that I would rather fast forward to the future than live fearlessly in the now, but deep down, I know that is not entirely true. Right now, I'm living so confidently, hopefully, and enthusiastically going in the direction of my dreams. I'm enjoying high school so much from gym class to the toughest AP Classes to the football games to the homecoming dances. I couldn't ask for more.

As much as it excites me to think about the endless possibilities of my bright future, I often have to remind myself to stay in the moment, because one day, today will be a memory. One day, those amazing college years that I'm picturing right now in my head will be the moment that I live in.

So, for today, I choose to live in this chapter of my story. This paragraph is the one that I am on right now- this is the sentence that I'm writing as you read. This is now, and I want to savor it for as long as I can until it becomes a photo in a high school years scrapbook.