In the midst of our second semester, I am sure we are all familiar with senioritis. This particular ailment hit me like a tidal wave on Wednesday, February 4th at 11:36 pm as I frantically finished the last 60 pages of Beloved. While I am excitedly anticipating graduation, I recently had some nostalgic reminders that made me want to turn back the clock a few years. Okay, maybe not years. Middle school was not a pretty time.

 Saying farewell is difficult, and there are so many goodbyes that I did not even begin to consider at the beginning of this year. People I will no longer see. Places I will no longer go. Here are a few of my personal experiences which have demonstrated that time is, in fact, oh so precious. Maybe they will inspire you to pay closer attention to parts of your routine that you take for granted!

My Orthodontist

Usually, this is one visit I dread weeks before its arrival. I despise my uncomfortable retainer and the sad faces of the fish swimming in the waiting room’s aquarium. However, I was left speechless when Dr. Girgis ended my last appointment by shaking my hand, wishing me “good luck in your future endeavors”. 

The orthodontist’s office held a crucial part of my childhood. I remember spending days in advance planning what colors to change my rubber bands, forever disappointed when my relatives didn’t notice my teeth adorned in red and green on Christmas. After every appointment, my mom would take me out to McDonald’s because a McFlurry would always numb the pain of tightened wires. 

I know it sounds silly, but now I am really going to miss this period of my life. The braces might have made me look like a chipmunk and gave me a slight lisp, but they were a crucial part of my adolescence. And now that my six month check-ups are ending for good, it feels like I’ve gotten closer to adulthood and cannot retrace my steps. I guess if my nostalgia becomes too difficult to bear, maybe I can take up hockey and lose a couple teeth? Alright, maybe not. At least, I’ll always have the embarrassing photos of my years as a metal mouth.

My Pediatrician

Last week, I checked in at the front desk with my mom and was handed a stack of papers. My heart jumped when I saw “How to transition from Pediatrician to Adult Doctor ” in bold print on top of the main pamphlet. 

How could this be happening? It was just yesterday that my sister and I would fight about who would get their flu shots first. We would hold each other’s hands so tightly as the needles poked our skin, and both excitedly pick out Disney princess stickers as a reward. My first visit without my sister was a tough pill to swallow, but how was it already my final appointment? 

It made me a little emotional when my pediatrician said “It was time for me to take charge of my own health” at the end of my visit.  However, those words now fill me with a sense of pride. I am now responsible enough to make my own decisions to keep myself safe, which is a significant development in my life. I am slowly but surely becoming the mature, conscientious young adult I aspire to be. Did I mess up my medical forms twice that appointment? Yes, but I didn’t need to hold my mom’s hand while I got my meningococcal vaccine. I just scrunched my face a lot and held my breath.

Baby steps, people. All about those baby steps. 

My Walking Trail

When the weather is nice, I enjoy taking a long walk along a wooded area near my house. The path is especially beautiful during the spring, as the trees bloom with beautiful flowers and birds swoop from branch to branch. 

It pains me to think that most of my college strolls will be at 1 am from the library to my college dorm

My Bedroom Ceiling

I think it is pretty common for seniors to get nostalgic about leaving their childhood bedrooms because of their posters or desk or picture frames. However, my saddest goodbye will be to my ceiling. Ever since our family moved in, my room has been painted like the sky, light blue with splotches of cloudy white. My view each night as I fall asleep consists of shiny, silver stars that dot the walls. 

This is probably the most superficial thing I will miss. It’s not a person I have a deep connection with or a place I visit often. However, the sight has become one of my greatest comforts. After a long day, I can fall into bed, look up, and be greeted by tranquil blue. 

Needless to say, I am deathly afraid my dorm room will have popcorn ceilings. How do you think my RA would feel about a paint job? 

My Bookshelf

Parting will be such sweet sorrow when it comes to my bookshelf. While I can bring a few with me to university, most of my collection will remain at home, collecting dust it certainly does not deserve. I haven’t had much time recently to read, but it was my favorite activity in elementary and middle school. I was on Battle of the Books and spent many of my Saturdays at the Woodridge Public Library. Sometimes, I feel I have severely outgrown the titles on the shelf, since most were purchased long before I stepped foot into Naperville North. But, it is always fun to skim through the pages and remember where I was when I first read them. On my swing set in my backyard. On the couch petting my dog. With a flashlight under the covers wayyyy past my bedtime. It truly is a measurement of how I have grown. Without completing such works as Junie B. Jones, who knows if I ever could have finished A Boy’s Life? 

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To all my seniors who are praying for May 18th, I encourage you to put less focus on counting the days and make each one memorable in their own way. If you are grateful to your neighbor who says hi to you on your way to the bus stop, tell them. If you love the hill outside your house, take advantage of the next Dan Bridges elected snow day and do some sledding. 

Goodbyes are inevitable, so might as well make them meaningful.