The first day of school this year, all of the seniors posted their “last first day of high school” on every social media. Since freshman year, the thought that echoed through their heads each morning was: “I’m so ready to graduate.” Senioritis began setting in around the first semester of junior year, but things are changing fast. As the end of the first semester looms, I’m starting to question why I wanted to graduate so badly.

I get it, it would be nice to wake up around eight in the morning instead of six in the morning, and not have to go to school every day for eight hours, listen to teachers lecture all day, and get paper after paper to finish and turn in by the next day. Those thoughts are normal, but those are only the negative aspects of high school. We only pick out the negative things about school and use that as our excuse to why we want to graduate so bad.

We can’t forget that once we graduate, there won’t be anymore Friday Night Lights, no more Key Club, Cord of 3, or Student Council meetings. There won’t be late nights when we come home as a Viking with our teammates from a game or meet. Once we graduate, we’re leaving behind all of the things and people that sculpted us into who we are now and the things we looked forward to for school.

While not all of us will go to college, once we step off that stage and move our tassels to the other side, we are on our own. Some of us say we’re ready while the rest of us stay up late and contemplate the next step. The thought of adulthood sounds pleasing and exciting for most seniors and makes them think about getting a house, a car, and doing whatever they want, but I don’t think any of us realize how fast it’s really coming.

Teachers will not cut slack for students in college. Teachers in high school, want us to succeed and push us to our limits, because they know the potential in each student. Seniors are so used to having someone tell them to do their work, that if they were on their own, I doubt the work would be done. Are seniors ready to pay for everything they want and need? Are seniors ready for new friendships and letting old ones go? Are seniors ready to leave the place they’ve been in for four years for 180 days? I’m not sure I am. Of course they can say yes, but at that graduation ceremony when everyone is all together, listening to the emotional speeches that bring tears, hugging people who mentored each of us, and receiving our diploma from Mr. Buban, we may change our minds. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to relive our senior year. We need to stop rushing everything and wishing for it, let’s embrace this last year we have together.

It’s an important lesson to learn now, to not wish life away as we wait for the next chapter of life to start. We must learn to live in the moment, to enjoy where we are right now. We must focus on the positive instead of the negative and appreciate each and every moment.