2021 and more specifically the first semester of senior year has come and gone as quickly as it has arrived. Many friends made, many new people met, and a whole range of experiences to speak fondly of. There has been much to look back on and reflect, as to preserve the memories for the future.
One of the main lessons I have learned and to a certain extent am still learning is the importance of just living in the moment. Time only seems to run quicker, and with that comes the opportunities to simply just be a kid. “Adult” responsibilities are right around the corner, and truly embracing every moment as it comes. These experiences could be as extravagant as an event like homecoming, or even something as watching funny videos at McDonalds with a friend. Even the activities that seem boring or tedious or routine all have their own place, as soon those will be gone too, like waiting out the parking lot rush in the small cafe, just talking with others doing the same.
Learning from all of my first semester has given me valuable insight for the future classes of seniors. The biggest takeaway I had was that it is critically important to have good time and stress management. For me personally, first semester was jam-packed with responsibilities. Keeping up with grades while managing other things like clubs, jobs, and college apps was very difficult to say the least. The number one tip I would have for incoming seniors is to have a planned out way of accomplishing anything and everything in a timely manner. It seems obvious but with so much going on it is easy to lose track and miss something here or there. Correspondingly finding a good way of relieving stress or learning how to properly cope with stress is also just as important. Even if you have good study habits and stay on top of everything, stress will still be present. Finding a relaxing activity that can help keep your mind clear will certainly help with dealing with any stress. One of the ways I found to be helpful when dealing with stress is journaling. Journaling, either virtually or on a paper, helped with my stress. It helped me to gain a clearer vision of what I was feeling and provided a safe place to vent anything I wanted to vent. It was also helpful just to look back and just see the past and the growth from it.
My perspectives have certainly changed through the past six months. Looking back, something I noticed a lot was how quickly people come in and out of my own life. I mainly saw this through my job, where over the summer, because of high demand, there were a lot of employees and consequently a lot of people I became friends with. However, when summer ended, many of them left, citing better opportunities or just bigger obligations like leaving for college or traveling abroad. The fact that I met them so quickly but they also disappeared so quickly left an impact on me, mainly the fact that much of life is temporary, both in your surroundings and the people around.
Ultimately just reflecting and thinking about the past six months has led me to the conclusion to take every moment in stride. To live life simply one day at a time. The good days in life are meant to be felt, to be experienced, to be embraced, but so are the bad. While the good give us memories, the bad teach us lessons and give us valuable experiences for the future. Each day has meaning, whether we see it at the time. As I look forward to the future, I hope to bring this lesson with me. I hope to apply it to every facet of my life, whether it be to those around me who I value the most, or even just to everyday normal life.
Thank you for sharing Justin! Someone once told me that as you grow up, time starts to move faster and faster. The people around us fade in and out of our lives, and it is important to cherish the moments that you have. I have found it difficult too to balance the time to study and prepare, and I hope that you will be able to sustain this delicate balance into the second semester, and eventually college.
I also really like your message of “living in the moment.” There are too many people in the world who are so fixated on climbing the mountains on the horizon that they don’t see the rocks right in front of them about to trip their feet. It is important to make the most of the time that we have, as many of the pleasures afforded to us in childhood aren’t there in adulthood. Make the most of it!
Thanks for sharing Justin, and good luck!
A whole semester has gone where I feel like it’s only been a month max. Time is weird and I swear if it speeds up any more I’ll be in my mid-forties by next week. Procrastination and College apps are the two big elephants of the tiny room that is Senior Year and I think it was something super important to note to underclassmen. Time management is essential in reducing stress, increasing productivity and efficiency. As the saving grace of Seniors, it’s easy in theory but more than difficult in practice.
Justin, I think that your blog did a great job in covering just about any advice an underclassman would need to get on their feet before or during their Senior year and manage the hectic year/ first semester ahead of them while hopefully finding some joy.
Hi Justin,
Living in the moment is something that I think is super important, and something that I am continuing to work on. I think when stressors pile up and we begin to drown in our work, we lose sight of what is important. It can be easy to think that nothing will ever get better and we’ll constantly be working, but by appreciating what we have and being grateful for what we have going for us, however insignificant it may seem, is incredibly important. I can relate to the feelings you described of being swamped by responsibilities, and I found it quite interesting to read about the perspective you gained from that experience. The idea that each day has meaning is also very powerful. I think it’s a good idea to walk away from everyday and explicitly think of something good that came out of it, so no day every feels wasted, and so we can understand that life is more than just the mundane moments, although at times it may seem entirely mundane.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Justin. It is crazy how we will all soon be adults, having to live independently from our parents in college or whatever we decide to do after college. The transition between our last year to college won’t be an easy one since you won’t be able to see many of your friends as you move on. Like you said in your blog, living in the moment right now is the best thing we can do in our senior year of High School. Trying to make as many memories as we are still able to with as a kid is the best thing we can do before we leave for college. Since I will also be moving on towards college soon, I hope I am able to make as many memories as I can with you as my friend. Though the transition to adulthood won’t be easy, many say college is some of the best four years of our lives, hopefully, that will be true for us, even though I will miss you and all our other friends I’ve met throughout grade school.