One thing I took for granted this school year was assuming the certainty of it. Most seniors like me do the same thing, but in years prior, it goes unnoticed.
It goes unnoticed because the class of 2020 has experienced something that no one else has. Almost half of our senior year, something we all thought was certain, was taken away.Â
I can barely remember my last at-bat as a softball player. Why? Because I was certain there would be dozens more to come. Our last game was what I thought to be at the beginning of the season. I was sure of it.
My last day at school – I don’t remember sitting around the lunch table with my friends for one last time. I never went around the school to tell all my teachers goodbye. Why? I had no idea in my mind that that day would be my last day of high school.
I’m writing this not so that you will pity me or because of the memories I lost, but because I want to pass on something I have learned in the midst of this. Nothing is certain. Do not live your life waiting for the next day to come.
Relying on what can happen in the future can easily lead to the rug being pulled out from under you, leaving you stuck lying on your face with no good memories to cherish.
This means don’t wait until your senior night to look into the crowd and appreciate the people who came to support you. Don’t wait for your last game to give it your all. Don’t go until the end of the season without telling your coaches and team thank you.
Don’t save taking pictures with your friends for the last day of school. And don’t wait to hug your teachers and tell them thank you.
Why would you want to wait until the last half of your senior to have fun and cherish the memories when you could do it all year long? Don’t get me wrong, having your official last game and last day of school is fun, but what makes it more special than the games or days before?
I’m not telling you not to cherish your last day of school, I’m telling you to also cherish every day before. Don’t look forward to what lies ahead because nothing is certain even if it seems to be set in stone.
There is an even bigger void in my life now that I realize I was taking my senior year for granted. I regret not cherishing the time I had just because I simply thought it wasn’t the last time.
I was so focused on the finish line I forgot to stop and smell the roses. Even if you’re not a high school senior, please stop and smell the roses in whatever you may be doing. The certainty of something can easily be taken away.
I had a great experience at Richmond Senior High School, even without the last half of my senior year. Looking back, I wish I would have focused more on the memories I was making versus the memories that were to come.
To all the future seniors, hopefully this will not happen to your senior year, but I want to encourage you to appreciate every day you have as they come. Make memories and cherish the moments in the beginning and middle of your senior year. Your senior year is the whole year, not just the end.
I want to thank the teachers and faculty at my school for helping me become the student I am and working with me on my worst days. I would also like to thank my coaches for pushing me and helping me become a better person both on and off the field.
A special piece of my heart goes out to the 2020 softball team and coaches. I think every day about what was in store for us in the rest of the season. Given the chance, I know we would have done great and had a fun time while doing it.
On behalf of the seniors at Richmond, I want to thank our community for all their support. I have enjoyed seeing the support given to my classmates and me. Every act of support is appreciated and none go unnoticed. Seeing our community rally around us truly brings tears to my eyes.
Finally, I want to give a special thanks to Kyle Pillar for giving me this opportunity to speak my mind and thank the people I should have been thanking throughout the school year.
I want to encourage everyone to stop and smell the roses no matter what your situation may be. Don’t take any part of it for granted. Find joy in your journey, not the end destination.
This is my story, but this is our year.
