As school is about to start and I am seeing schedules with my old classes on them, I am feeling nostalgic. Though I do not necessarily miss it, it feels like it went by too fast. I know we are always told to be careful because of how fast life goes, though we rarely understand why, there is a reason people say “Don’t blink.” I would sit in class wishing that the day, the month, the year would end. And after months of sitting in classes that never seemed to end, summer would finally arrive. I’d spend all summer doing I couldn’t even tell you what and then school would start and I would repeat the whole thing over again. More often than not, I forgot to enjoy the journey.

My words of advice? Get out, be social, go to games and activities, join clubs and make friends that in two years you won’t have anything in common with. Freshman, get involved in things even if it is not in school, the earlier you start the more experiences you will have. Sophomores and juniors, it is never too late to get involved. Seniors, go to games, go to everything, absorb your last year of high school, spend time with friends and make memories. My second semester of senior year I moved out, I did not go to any basketball games (my second favorite sport), I did not go to youth group, I did not hang out with friends. As a result I had a bad bout of depression, and missed so many days of school I was unable to participate in senior skip day.

Now that I have been out of high school for a year, I have regrets and spend time missing and wishing things had been done differently. I urge you to try to do the things you will regret not doing later on in life. And take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Do things you will want to tell others about, do things you will want to keep a secret, be bold, and create memories. You will have stories to tell later on about crazy things you did, and believe me you will love telling them as much as I do. Make the most of high school, be you and don’t let others dictate who you are, be you in your own way. Do not expect to stay in touch with everyone, and don’t expect to keep the same friends all four years, because people change, you will change and they will as well. Most of all do not wish your years away. One day, whether in five years or forty you will look back and see how fast things went and believe it or not you will miss it.

So, take things slow and more importantly than anything else, Enjoy your journey.