Show week has come around once again and it makes me stop to think about how much has changed in my life. Last year at this time I was crazy stressed out, wondering if our high school theatre production would go off without a hitch. I was insanely busy, and probably relatively sleep deprived. I was pushing myself to the limit trying to juggle school, family, and the play. Even so, I loved every second of it. Play practice was the highlight of my day because I was doing what I loved with people I loved. I was building friendships and making crazy memories. Theatre was where I belonged.

But things change.

Life went on whether I wanted it to or not, and now I find myself two hours away from my family and friends. Most of the people in my graduating class have scattered around the country, attending various colleges and moving on with their lives. And I look back. I remember all the show week memories, good times, and insane nerves. I miss the people that I had grown to know and love. I miss the excitement of the curtain rising, the stage lights shining in my eyes. I miss the characters. I miss getting to live in someone else’s skin for a while. After an experience like that, all my petty little problems seem suddenly insignificant.

I really am lucky to have had such a wonderful experience in high school theatre. And I’m still lucky to be close enough to be able to go back and visit every so often. I know many of those who graduated with me don’t have that luxury. I honestly can’t wait to go back and cheer on my younger friends. I have so much faith in them and I’m so excited to see what an amazing job they will do on their current production! I’m sad that I can no longer be as involved in their lives as I once was, but life moves on and I need to move on with it.

High school is over for me now, and even though I cherish the times I get to go back and visit what I left behind, I know I can never truly belong there like I once did. The only thing I can do is keep on moving forward and jump into life with both feet. I need to cherish my new friends and new memories just as much as the old ones. I need to live in the moment rather than in the past. I only have a limited amount of time in college and one day I will have to leave it behind as well. So why not enjoy the time I have?

And who knows? Maybe I will have some new show weeks to be a part of and a new theatre department that I can call home. Maybe I’ll make new fun, crazy memories with new people I learn to love just as much as the old. Maybe it’s time to find somewhere new to belong. After all, life keeps moving on. The trick is to figure out how to move on with it.