Time is a fickle thing. When all you want is for it to speed up, it slows down; when you become distracted, the two hours you spent on Imgur feel like five minutes. You can look away, turn back, and everything that was there is now gone.
The nearing of summer means the end of things long established and relied upon being washed away, allowing chaos and disorder to triumph. As the final day of school draws close, I realize that the way things were this year will not remain constant as time pushes me forward into the next. This makes me nervous. Although many say that change is good, it is also scary. The unknown waiting for you around the corner is not a very calming image. However, it is the unknown that keeps life interesting. To continue on in the same path day after day becomes tedious, and every second can drag on. Change can sometimes work out for the better. It may turn out that the unknown lurking on your flank is actually your soon-to-be best friend or the trip that you always wanted to go on. It could also be losing your job and losing all your money. But, life has a course that includes ups and downs. But, what is an up without a down?
With graduation, I lose many friends who I have become close with over the years I’ve been at Campo. It’s their time to move on to their next chapter, to achieve a broader scope on their story and to explore their themes and plot twists. I will miss them. With their absence comes the demand to adapt, to change into what I’ll need to be to survive in this mad, mad world. It can be easily accomplished with the help of those who are leaving. They are leaving, but I believe that they leave behind hints of themselves here and there. Their impact will never truly leave. From idiosyncrasies that have been passed on, to legends and tales that will capture the attention of the younger generation, the seniors will live on here in spirit.
Now I will become the next in line to move on. Next year marks the end of high school for me and the beginning of the rest of my life. Even though I can’t wait for this year to be over, I know that I will wish that it had gone by more slowly and I had enjoyed every moment more. Memories, I feel are too often defined by regrets and wishes rather than true moments of bliss; so, with the dwindling time I have left with the seniors and the way things are now, I will make the most of every moment.
This year for me was not defined by the stress I endured or the obstacles that I overcame, but the people who I spent time with fretting over the race the next day or with celebrating the win over our opponent. The people who I interact with make me who I am. Their support, or lack of drives, me to work harder or see things in a different way. The people I meet with everyday make each day different, makes each day special in its own way. They add spice to the otherwise bland repetitive schedule that life can follow, creating interesting stories and memories along the way.
The future I face is yet to be determined, but I know that most of it will be chosen by me. Yes, there will be happy or unfortunate accidents that my change my course, but the way that I avoid or handle the situation has a greater affect on my destiny. I will choose the path that I want to follow, although it may not always be the path of least resistance. Doing something that I love will give me more joy than scraping by with minimal work. It isn’t work if you enjoy doing it.
