I remember being in grade school and just wishing I could be in middle school, being in middle school and wishing I was in high school and being in high school and wishing I was in college. These are normal feelings for a lot of people growing up, but when will we learn to just live in the moment?

My mom has always told me to not wish my life away. I don't think I really realized what my mom meant by this until my freshman year of college. My freshman year of college has been one of, if not, the best year of my life for many different reasons. I have never been more confident, I have never had better friends and I have never felt so happy being on my own. But this has also been one of the best years of my life also because I have learned so much about what it really means to be alive. I have gone through tough times this year as well. Breakups, lost friendships, mental health struggles, a lot of stress, homesickness and many other life trials. But all this good and all this bad has taught me to enjoy the current moment and to also appreciate what I have been through.

If I have one life regret it would be that I didn't fully enjoy every moment, the boring ones, the sad ones, the good ones and the ones I will never forget. I wish I could tell my high school freshman self to enjoy being new to high school and to look forward to the next four years. I also wish I could go back to my senior year in high school and tell myself to enjoy being a high school student, to enjoy the little things like getting ready for prom and football games and lastly to soak in the last few moments of being a permanent resident in my own home.

I am lucky to have learned this lesson at only 18 years old, because I have found a whole new appreciation for what it means to have the gift of life. Wherever you are in life, take a moment to value what that stage of life will bring you.