Some of us have been counting down the days since the semester started, some of us are dreading the day that we are forced to leave everything behind, and others are just trying to enjoy every minute we can.

Time. We crave for it to pass, and yet after the fact, long to have it back. So why are we rushing and where is it that we are rushing to?

When it’s 8:00, we want it to be 8:50. When it’s 8:55, we’d rather it be 10:00. We go through our days and our weeks wanting for it to be a time in the future. Seldom do we stop and just appreciate our present. When have you looked at the clock in back of the classroom and thought, “It’s 8:30, and I am perfectly okay with that.”

As that old saying goes, “As one door closes, another one opens,” yet why are we in such a rush for this door that is high school to close. Are we sick of the homework? Are we sick of seeing the same faces everyday? What is it that we are so excited to escape?

In life we have a tendency to rush too much. We try to get to our destination as fast as we can and forget to focus on the present. It is because we keep looking forward that we forget what is most important: what is right in front of us.

“It’s scary to even think about leaving this place,” said senior Alex Kaplan.

I have been thinking about my future since the age of 7. When my 2nd grade teacher told my class to make items we’d hope to use in our future professions out of cardstock and crayons, my creation stood out. I didn’t make a tiara or an astronaut helmet, I made a briefcase. That 7 year old knew she wanted to be a lawyer. That same girl now sits here a decade later with the same goal in mind.

While I love the fact that I have had every detail of my future planned from that day in 2nd grade, I have realized that maybe too much of my life has been spent at looking at what is to come as opposed to what is right in front of me. Today, I want to focus on today. I don’t want to think about tomorrow or the day after that. I am not the only senior that thinks that way.

“There are five weeks left of senior year. No, five weeks left of high school. In five weeks time we will be out in the real world. I’m terrified,” said senior Natalie Gordon.

“We need to enjoy what we have now because it will all be over in a couple months. We should enjoy the time we have with the people we care about because it could very well be the last time we see each other for a long time. That being said, I think it’s totally okay to be ready to move on. College is exciting and it’s the start of the rest of our lives. It’s hard to not look forward to that and just mentally be counting down the minutes until we graduate” said senior Jacob Rudner.

Today, as my time in high school is coming to a close, I look at my classmates who are itching to get out of these halls and can’t help but think what I would do to pause the clock that is running out. While I am excited for college and that next chapter of my life, I sure would like to savor every moment it is that I have left.

I know one day I will miss these friends. I know I will miss these classes.  I know I will miss rushing to school to get my parking spot. I know I will miss my locker that opens only after 5 tries. I know I will miss everything it is that I have now. So until that one day, I will focus on today because one day I will wish to have it all back.