Seven months ago, I published my very first “Before I Lea-ve” column. Honestly, starting it felt like a huge leap because I had spent nearly two years writing my previous column, “The Fresh Perspective,” and ending it wasn’t easy. Letting go has never really been my strong suit, but senior year has a way of forcing you to do just that. In exactly 23 days, I’ll walk across the stage, leave high school behind and nearly everything that has come with it.
Even though I’ll be attending UTD and staying close to home, things won’t feel the same. My friends will be heading hundreds or even thousands of miles away, leaving to build new lives in unfamiliar places. And while I’ll be doing that too, just a little closer to home, it still feels like everything is about to change.
It’s honestly weird to think that, in just a few weeks, everything stressing me out right now, like AP tests, Collin’s finals, and passing ALEKS, won’t matter in the same way anymore. Right now everything feels so permanent but it’s really not. It’s already started to feel like something I’ll look back on instead of something I’m still in.
I feel like this feeling also applies to my day to day since smaller moments with people I’ve practically grown up with are now about to either disappear or become infinitely harder to come by without having to plan it.
I feel like writing “Before I Lea-ve” really helped me with this feeling though since it gave me a chance to slow things down and reflect on what was happening. Now that this is the last entry, it feels weird knowing there isn’t another moment to write about in the same way.
Honestly, this is probably the hardest column entry I’ve ever written because I don’t know how to say goodbye to something my life has revolved around for so much time. So, instead of trying to perfectly end it, I’ll just leave with one last piece of advice:
Before I Lea-ve,
Don’t be afraid to let things matter to you. Even if they don’t last forever, even if they end sooner than you want them to, they’re still worth holding onto while they’re here.
