By AMANDA ROSATONE
Four years ago today, I was trying to figure out how on earth was I going to survive high school, and four years from today, I am probably going to be saying how much I want to go back. I know that you have probably heard this from almost every adult in your life, but time truly does fly. This article isn’t going to be about cliche sayings and how their awkward generalness proves to be true in almost every facet of life because, in all honesty, who wants to read about that? I would much rather discuss the scary truth of life almost every senior is facing right now; getting older.
I look at little kids today with so much awe in their natural energized and outgoing spirits and personalities. Talking to young children really opens our eyes, in a way, to understand what it felt like when we were that young and wanted to be where we are today. I find it hilarious and inspiring when I talk to a little kid and ask them if they are excited about anything. Their response, as expected, would be, “I can’t wait to get older and have a car,” or “I can’t wait to go to work every day,” and my all-time favorite “I’m almost a whole 2 hands old.” Talking to them as they express the things they are excited about or hope to achieve in life is kind of like a breath of fresh air that I know everyone needs from time to time.
Along with this, little kids wake up every morning wondering what new thing they will find out from the day. Weather it be going to the library and reading a book on bugs or going out with their mom or dad to shop, little kids take every opportunity they have and run with it, always wanting to learn something new. I feel like this is something that also gets lost in getting older because along with not letting go or forgetting about our passions, we should still be able to find it within ourselves to want to excel and exceed not worrying about breaking from the familiar and wanting to embrace the unknown. In getting older, it becomes more challenging wanting to break from the tedious routine we find ourselves in on a daily basis because what we have is safe and secure. However, in remembering our dreams and our passions, there has to be parts of us that are willing to take the risks we once may have thought were crazy ideas because those risks may turn into meaningful experiences.
Now, being a senior in high school, the definition of my year just turned into one big deadline. Between college applications, SAT test dates and possible interviews, everything about the college process is very overwhelming as you all probably know by now. In dealing with the countless essays that have to be written, and trying to make sure you can remember the 50+ usernames and passwords that you have for all of these “college” websites, I find myself often losing sight of what is still yet to come. Sometimes I wish I was as carefree as a young child because they are so content with life, and they have their imaginations and dreams, which makes them inevitably look forward to whatever is going to happen next. As little kids have all these ideas bouncing around inside their minds, they probably don’t even consider half of the worries I have because they are truly just so passionate and excited about the future. As twisted as this may sound, I feel like we really have to look up to little kids and remember to get excited about things.
Yes, the college process is overwhelming, and yes, we will all probably feel at some point in time that we will just never get there. As overwhelming as all this seems, we still need to find it in ourselves to think about and get excited for our future. Even though what little kids aspire for is what we are all dreading someday like waking up every morning and working from 9-5, or making those monthly car payments that we will all have to deal with, there are still so many things to look forward to. We can take the same excitement little kids embody and get excited for things like hey, I am going to be 18 by the end of the month so I can vote! Or even, getting into college and possibly studying abroad and taking a picture next to some cool animal in Costa Rica. All of the exciting things that are to come can often times be overlooked during high school between tests, projects and just being a teenager. The more stressful variables there are in our lives, the more important it becomes for all of us to remember that once upon a time, we may all have wanted to be princesses, or astronauts or even the next president; more importantly, it becomes more valuable for us to hold onto our dreams and know that they are never out of reach.
