It’s time to say good-bye.
I’m a very sentimental person, so that’s hard for me to do. Even though I’m stoked to be done with my classes, even though I’m pumped to step into a stage of life that holds more freedom, even though I can’t wait to go to college- “goodbye” will always be a really hard word for me to say.
So I’m going to put it off just a little longer. Before I say that really tough thing, let me share with you what I’ve learned over the past 8 years at SGA.
Kindness. This is actually the secret to everything. This is sort of all that matters. If you can be anything, be kind. Please make eye contact with people and smile at them and ask them how they are doing. Give lots of hugs. Stop yourself before you make the sarcastic comment - even if you’re just joking. Just be abundantly kind. It took me a while to realize how important this was, and how it is much more important than being cool or funny or put together. Be kind first, and everything else will work itself out.
Do less homework. Yes, seriously. This is mainly directed towards my perfectionists and overachievers out there, who completely zap the joy out of their own life by stressing about school and spending hours and hours on a single assignment. Give it up, bro. This was how I operated the first two years of high school, and looking back on freshman and sophomore year, I barely remember anything. Because I didn’t go anywhere or do anything or hang out with friends or eat dinner with my grandparents. I stayed at home and obsessed over homework. So don’t be me. Actively do less homework. Schedule fun things to force yourself to get away from your textbooks. If your little brother asks you to play with him, say yes. Remember that if doing your best on an assignment completely drains you, then it’s not your best. Sometimes you’ve got to do things halfway just to stay sane. And that’s ok.
Be scared and then do it anyway. I have dealt with my fair share of anxiety over the past 8 years. And sometimes I have been just straight up terrified to do something. For example, I had to do a singing audition for Theater this year. And I will not lie to you: it went terribly. I can’t sing. And I was shaking the whole time I was up there. But I did it. And I survived. Some people are totally fearless, and have no problem doing scary things, like singing a solo in front of 50 classmates. But if you’re normal, you probably aren’t fearless, and get freaked out sometimes by class presentations or sports tryouts or roller coasters or something. And that’s ok. It’s totally alright to be scared. But do it anyway. Do it with shaky hands. Do it with quick breaths. Do it with weak knees. Just do it. You’ll survive it. And you’ll be glad you did it. And you’ll be more empowered next time something scary pops up.
Not everyone is meant to be your best friend - and that’s ok. I’ve found I put a lot of pressure on my relationships, because I’m always trying to find the perfect friendship. I feel like I always need to find someone who completely clicks with me and is my soulmate - and if they don’t match the description, the friendship isn’t worth pouring into. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s wrong. Standing here at the end of my senior year, I can tell you that I have had all kinds of different relationships with people here at SGA, and all of them have been valuable in their own way. I have a couple of really tight friends. But I also have the person who I can always vent to about a certain class, the person who I can always go to for a good hug, the one I can always talk with about the Braves, the one who always cracked jokes with me in Spanish, and the one who lets me cry in her office. And a whole squad of people who always make me laugh on the senior group chat. Appreciate every friend and acquaintance for what they are. You need all kinds of people to get you through high school.
Fake it until you make it. If you don’t know what you’re doing, just pretend that you do. If you didn’t practice your class presentation, just smile big and speak slowly and imagine that this is what you do for a living. (I did this last week.)
Alright, that’s what I’ve got. Those are the major lessons that I have learned at SGA- nothing super special, but hard-fought.
Which means that now it’s time to say the thing.
People keep asking me, “Are you ready to graduate!” And of course I say yes. But then when I talk to my fellow seniors, and they tell me how ready they are to leave, I look around me and I think, Not yet. I’m ready to throw my textbooks away. But I want to hold on to my friends a little longer.
Graduating brings a mix of emotions, but at least for today it is time to be sad.
Goodbye.
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