The truth is it’s only been a year since I was in your shoes. It was second semester, I was struggling with a major case of senioritis, and I couldn’t wait to be done with high school. I couldn’t wait to start the next phase of my life. I couldn’t wait to live in a dorm, experience what college parties were really like, complain about lousy cafeteria food and I couldn’t even wait to write my first college level paper. I mean, that’s what high school English prepares you for, right? If I didn’t have that to look forward to, what was the point of taking all those advanced placement English classes?
Anyways, that’s not the point of this letter. The point is enjoy yourself. Live in the moment. The point is to stop counting down the days until graduation with contempt for what your life is like now. I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but I’ll say it again: you will miss high school when it’s over. Take it from someone who can say that from recent experience. It feels like years since I’ve been in your shoes, but I remember it all. I remember going out to dinner with my friends after a basketball game, how awesome it was to watch a movie in class, sitting around the lunch table with my friends talking about the colleges we were going to attend and the seemingly never-ending roommate search. I remember driving around with my best friends with the windows down, screaming the lyrics to our favorite songs. I remember how annoyed I got when my mom asked if I had finished my homework. I remember the simplicity. But the funny thing is all of those things seemed so ordinary then, so unworthy of too much thought because that was my life. And now, a year later, when I look back, I can’t believe I ever took those things for granted.
Don’t get me wrong, college is better than I even hoped it would be. The memories I’ve made this year will stick with me forever. I’ve met amazing people and friends that’ll be around for a lifetime. I love the school I attend now, and I don’t feel any regret or remorse. I do feel sadness, but not for who I am now. I feel sad for who I was a year ago because I didn’t realize the significance or finality of my senior year of high school. If there is one thing you take away from this letter, I want it to be this: stop and smell the roses. Spend time with your friends. Let your mom take you out to breakfast on a Saturday morning. Listen to your teachers when they give you advice about college. Do your homework. Go to a basketball game and sit in the student section and scream until your throat hurts. Be unapologetically positive. Enjoy yourself. So a year from now, when you’re in my shoes, you’ll be glad you did.
