Four years. A total of 720 school days. That’s 5,760 hours. And 345,000 minutes. That’s how long I have dedicated (by law) to high school (so far). Hi, Graduation, it's nice to meet you! I know most people on graduation day get all emotional and listen to Taylor Swift’s Long Live. It’s not I don’t have a heart, or I never want to see another person from school. Far from, in fact, THEY’RE probably really happy to get rid of a hyper-ask-way-too-many-quetions-four-cups-of-coffee-agressive-morning-person girl in their first hour (me). But I sit here, just hours before I walk across the stage, and think about the past years. I can look back and think of Gabby Douglas, an Olympic gold medalist at the age of sixteen, and think, “wow, I got my license…. cool and won a science fair”. But I’d rather not have a midlife crisis (so soon). I’m already late getting ready, and I know I can’t be late to my own graduation. (Well, I could, but I’d rather not piss off the faculty or family any more this year). I just wanted to encourage my friends who have, will, or never graduated high school. Don’t look back. Don’t get stuck in this, “nothing will be the same. I’m so scared of the future”. I could spit out Bible verses left and right about how God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, but like I said, I have a face mask on and have to be at my sister’s condo in roughly thirty minutes… Yikes! (insert, brother yelling, “Chloe! Almost ready?!” ). Anyway, yeah, it’s true. Things won’t be the same. And that’s that. But THAT is a beautiful thing. This isn’t so much about my graduation, as it is about encouraging everybody to look at the future as a wonderful thing. Not a fearful thing. Appreciate the past for it’s wisdom, but trust the future for it’s experiences. I know I’m just a high schooler (not for long!), but I’ve seen and experienced a lot of what this world has to offer, though we don’t want to fall into a love with materialistic things, God did give us this time on earth to enjoy it. So feel the grass, drink too much coffee, spin until you’re sick, laugh until you blow snot, burn your hands on cookies, and spit from talking too fast, because well, life is moving and you have to feel it before it’s gone.
