Dear current high school seniors,
This is one of those things you're going to be hearing a lot of this year. No, I'm not going to ask where you're going to school or what you're majoring in- trust me, I know that's the absolute worst thing to be asked right now. I'm not going to ask you anything. I'm going to tell you something and boy, I sure do hope you listen.
Life is busy right now. You are filling out college applications, trying to figure out a senior project, looking at scholarship opportunities, all while trying to manage school work. Everyone seems so concerned with this great unknown, the daunting future, that it's difficult to stay in the now. Oh but you must.
Drink it all in. Soak up every moment. Say yes. These days are some of the most wonderful days of your life.
I hope you are lucky enough to have found the best friends in the whole world. The people who you know way too much about, but still love. Those amazing people who you have no clue what you would do without. They are the best people ever and you know that you will always be best friends. But those best friends of yours will soon be miles and miles away and you will very much wish you had the luxury of seeing them everyday. Yes, you will make many, many new friends wherever the future may bring you, but there is a special bond you will always have with those friends from high school. They were there for you during some of the most awkward times. They're the ones with you as you prepare for this big change. They are your family. They are the usual, the familiar, the comfortable. And that, that is something that you will learn never to take for granted.
While life may seem so complex right now, you will only remember how simple it really was.
Dance the night away at every school dance. Root on the football team at every game. Attend all theater performances. Partake in spirit weeks. Thank your teachers. Go on long drives, listening to good music. Hang out with your friends every weekend. Laugh until you cry. Cry until you laugh. Make the most of the time that moves far too swiftly... before you know it, you'll be holding your diploma.
Hang out with your family. No matter how annoying they are, you will really miss them. You will miss having dinner with them every night and watching your younger siblings grow up. The best news is they will be there for you when you need them, and home is always waiting. For now though, take advantage of the sweet time you have together.
Cherish your grades being composed of a lot of boosters. In college, the majority of your grade is exams. There are no worksheets or homework assignments or participation points to fluff up that grade.
When second semester comes and the senioritis hits hard, that's ok. But still try. Finish strong. Know it's not the end. But it's happening. Instead of mindlessly walking from class to class, really look around you. The halls around you have housed you for the past four years. They're where you grew. Notice all the little things, the things you never noticed before. Leave your mark.
Cast away any anxiety that the future may bring. Right now, live in each day. Along the way, you will fall into the most wonderful place, exactly where you belong.
What is about to come is amazing. You will have so many new opportunities, new adventures, and incredible memories. But never forget your roots. They have influenced where you are today. There will be days where you miss what was. You will miss listening to Paisley's lectures, and constructing ecocolumns in APES, and running cross country. But you will love your new friends, independence, and discovering your passions. You will love awakening parts of you that you did not know exist. It is thrilling and scary and the best thing ever. And it will come when it's time.
You know you're going to miss all of this, but you don't know yet just how much. So find peace, find joy, and love where you are. You'll never be there again.
-Hannah
//
Today, I am incredibly thankful for memories, specifically those of high school. I was so lucky to have the most amazing tight knit group of friends in high school. Because of those amazing friends, I came out of high school with some of the most fantastic memories. Every day, I find myself recalling a specific event, smiling and wishing I was there to share a moment like it again. I think that memories, good and bad, are one of the most precious gifts of life. Time spent together is certainly invaluable.
My favorite way to reminisce of those good ol' high school days.
xo
Hannah
Showing posts with label Goodbyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goodbyes. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
A Season of Change
As I was sitting on the couch watching RV with my family, I was thinking about how it had been a while since I blogged and I was feeling the need to. At first, I thought to myself, "Oh I'll call my post 'Shame shame' or something like that since I've been a bad blogger lately". Then it dawned on me that I don't owe anything to this blog or my readers (sorry guys). I blog for me. To write down my memories. To share this beautiful thing we call life.
Currently, I'm going through what my mom would call a season of change. I will be moving out in 6 days. 6 DAYS. This summer has absolutely flown by, like they all seem to. I've been busy prepping for this next chapter of my life while still trying to savor each moment in the present. There's a lot that I'm trying to process now and that's what led me to blog. Writing things out is one of the best ways I can sort things out in my brain.
I try to live life with no regrets. And for the most part I really do. I believe that everything happens for a reason and we must trust in that reason, even if we don't see why immediately. But I do wish that I would have spent more time with my friends. More crazy adventures. More time talking. More time with those that I love so dearly. Time is fleeting, this I know. I think about how fast senior year went by. Heck, high school was a blur. You simply just don't realize how lucky you are until it's all being taken away from you.
So here's some little life updates. A High Five for Friday, I suppose. :)
On Monday, Jessica became a legal adult. A birthday post is coming, I just need to sit and finish it. I always end up having to stop because I get too dang emotional because not only was it her birthday, but it was the last time we got to see her before she packed up and left for SIU.
On Monday, little Liv also had a birthday. How is it that she is 14 and in high school now?! Man, what I would give to see her there. It's crazy to think that I remember freshman year so clearly and that's what she's experiencing now. I'm not looking forward to having to say goodbye to her.
Late night movies are always great. Especially when you have an old man in the theater who happens to have the funniest laugh in the world and conveniently laughs at everything. I realized that night that every time we go to the movies, we have this routine; we go to King Soopers, get cheaper tickets and candy, then go to the theaters and get settled in. Who will I do this with in college?!
SO wonderful to be with all these friends the other night! Nothing beats great conversation over delicious PF Changs, some Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, and a surprise visit to see Riley at the sorority house she's living in for preseason soccer at DU!
And of course a dog picture because it was either her or the cat. She sure is cute and so much fun! Boy will I miss her!
While looking at my Facebook profile the other day for no apparent reason, I realized I still had a quote in my About section that I had posted in middle school.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." [Ecclesiastes 3:1] (read the rest here)
I could only smile and think that I saw it there, at the time, for a reason. All of this change is coming whether I want it to or not. At this time though, change is happening for everyone. There's comfort knowing that you are not alone as these anxious feeling overcome you. Despite how exciting it all is, we must leave behind a piece of ourselves to embrace the future and become ever more who we really are. The great perhaps is out there, which is terrifying and exhilarating, all at once.
xo
Hannah
"Change is constant. How we experience change that's up to us. It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again." [Grey's Anatomy]
Currently, I'm going through what my mom would call a season of change. I will be moving out in 6 days. 6 DAYS. This summer has absolutely flown by, like they all seem to. I've been busy prepping for this next chapter of my life while still trying to savor each moment in the present. There's a lot that I'm trying to process now and that's what led me to blog. Writing things out is one of the best ways I can sort things out in my brain.
I try to live life with no regrets. And for the most part I really do. I believe that everything happens for a reason and we must trust in that reason, even if we don't see why immediately. But I do wish that I would have spent more time with my friends. More crazy adventures. More time talking. More time with those that I love so dearly. Time is fleeting, this I know. I think about how fast senior year went by. Heck, high school was a blur. You simply just don't realize how lucky you are until it's all being taken away from you.
So here's some little life updates. A High Five for Friday, I suppose. :)
On Monday, Jessica became a legal adult. A birthday post is coming, I just need to sit and finish it. I always end up having to stop because I get too dang emotional because not only was it her birthday, but it was the last time we got to see her before she packed up and left for SIU.
On Monday, little Liv also had a birthday. How is it that she is 14 and in high school now?! Man, what I would give to see her there. It's crazy to think that I remember freshman year so clearly and that's what she's experiencing now. I'm not looking forward to having to say goodbye to her.
Late night movies are always great. Especially when you have an old man in the theater who happens to have the funniest laugh in the world and conveniently laughs at everything. I realized that night that every time we go to the movies, we have this routine; we go to King Soopers, get cheaper tickets and candy, then go to the theaters and get settled in. Who will I do this with in college?!
SO wonderful to be with all these friends the other night! Nothing beats great conversation over delicious PF Changs, some Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, and a surprise visit to see Riley at the sorority house she's living in for preseason soccer at DU!
And of course a dog picture because it was either her or the cat. She sure is cute and so much fun! Boy will I miss her!
While looking at my Facebook profile the other day for no apparent reason, I realized I still had a quote in my About section that I had posted in middle school.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." [Ecclesiastes 3:1] (read the rest here)
I could only smile and think that I saw it there, at the time, for a reason. All of this change is coming whether I want it to or not. At this time though, change is happening for everyone. There's comfort knowing that you are not alone as these anxious feeling overcome you. Despite how exciting it all is, we must leave behind a piece of ourselves to embrace the future and become ever more who we really are. The great perhaps is out there, which is terrifying and exhilarating, all at once.
xo
Hannah
"Change is constant. How we experience change that's up to us. It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again." [Grey's Anatomy]
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