The annual Trunk-or-Treat event was on Oct. 29, and for many younger kids it was a sweet surprise to go trunk to trunk getting candy and showing off their costumes, But it also served as a pivotal moment for my outlook going forward senior year.

With college apps and scholarship deadlines marking up the next few months on my calendar, it’s been a frenzy trying to hold it down, battle off the senioritis, and prepare for my future.

Each and every short answer written, application filled, and document uploaded has heightened my awareness of how swift this year is going by. We’ve made it through one-third of the 2018-2019 academic year, and time doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, judging by how the months have breezed by.

All the while, though, I have been, as the nature is of a senior’s responsibilities, thinking and planning for the next four years that will follow graduation, marking a new phase in my life. A lot of this time has been spent pondering decisions I’m making in the moment and how that will play into my career path and eventually my life.

Though I’ve considered my future goals throughout all four years of high school and shaped myself up to be the individual who can accomplish them, there’s an elevated feeling of pressure as everything starts to become so real and tangible, submission after submission.

As I stood at HOSA’s parking spot for Trunk-or-Treat, such stress subsided, even if for the moment. Passing out candy, interacting with kids, petting dogs, and sharing laughs and memories with friends made me momentarily forget about it all.

Watching the sun set on a crisp October day with music in the background and so many familiar and cheerful faces was a sense of elation like no other. Time seemed to slow down if only for a little bit, and I felt contentment even if fleeting.

We’re for the most part advised to be forward-thinking, proactive individuals, but it’s easy to be swept up in the process of it all.

What’s life without enjoying your way through it? One day our futures will become our present. If we do not know how to appreciate the present now, then what will come of all the preparation and anticipation when our wishes are granted and the futures we desired become our reality?

It’s hard to find a balance of both, of course. No one said it was easy, especially when we live such fast-paced chaotic lives. But being mindful and living for both the future and present is what we should essentially aim for.