Seniors,

Only one year ago (though it seems like a lifetime), I was where you are now: knee deep in college applications, trying my absolute hardest to perfect my essays and make sure my resume was competitive and intriguing. If you're anything like me, you are probably scrambling to retake your SAT's and trying desperately to kiss up to old teachers in an effort to get a solid letter of recommendation. You bounce between tears of sadness, anger, and pure frustration. Nothing you write seems right and you're starting to question if college is really all that worth it.

Yup! I've been there. 90% of your senior class is there. You are not alone!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away. It's usually a time filled with lots of excitement and laughter but, at this point in your life, you might be dreading it. For me, by Thanksgiving all of my college applications had been submitted and I was just waiting for answers. I have never been a person that like uncertainty or surprises. The unknown is perhaps the scariest thing on earth to me, so my anxiety around Thanksgiving was through the roof. I dreaded dinner at my grandmother's house, not wanting to talk about college but knowing that is all anyone really wanted to know. I'm a person who likes to have answers. The fact that, for once, I was without them terrified me.

I spent most of the day in the back room, staying to myself and wallowing in my own self pity. My self confidence was at an all time low. I sat in front of the TV all day with my dad and grandfather, wondering if next year I would be a cheering fan in the stands. Hell, I wondered if I would be anywhere at all. Perhaps I would be sitting on the same couch a year from now, never having moved and never having amounted to much of anything. I was so consumed with negative thoughts that I forgot the most important thing of all: to be thankful!

So, seniors, be thankful for the moment you're in. Despite how mundane and cliche it may seem, you are lucky to have the opportunity to further your education, however that may be. You're family, though their questions can get frustrating, are just trying to relate to you and let you know that somebody cares. You are about to set forth on the most amazing journey. It may seem foggy and unclear now but soon, it will all come together.

Kiss your family, play with your dog, eat all the damn dessert you want! This Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful and remember to love those around you. Have a happy holiday!