Dear Lil Freshies

     To the incoming Freshman class- hello. Welcome to the mixing pot of late nights and early mornings, procrastination, and the tidal waves of stress that makes up High School. It's not all that bad though; I mean I like to say I had a pretty good year, but I came into High School with these expectations that I was just going to buckle down and bang out A's and 4.0's like it was no big deal. This made for a very anxious mind, and I can't stress this enough: ANXIETY AND STRESS DOES NOTHING BUT INHIBIT SUCCESS. Whether it be grades, or even fitting in, worrying about something you can't even control yet is taking up your brain space! Fill your mind up with encouraging thoughts, as well as positive affirmations to keep you motivated and grounded- my favorite is "today's best today." Remember to take your school life day by day, because we all have good days and bad ones as well, and you can't let bad grades or rejection slow you down.  
     If I could tell little eighth grade me some advice, it'd be this: don't be afraid. Fear of acceptance and superiority made me want to change who I was at one point, and sometimes I really felt out of place. Whenever I walked through the halls, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be at WMHS. I hate to break it to you, but you have every right to be there. You belong in High School! I know, sometimes the fact that you're even in High School can throw you off, but you'll get used to it. These are your halls- in these halls you'll awkwardly drop books and disturb the flow of student body traffic, you'll sit on the benches outside of each wing before classes begin and try to finish last night's homework, you'll pretend you didn't see those two upperclassmen enjoying their PDA, and you'll try to find the longest possible route to take from one class to the other. Don't be afraid of the other students either. Turns out, all grades have their mix of people you'll end up meeting and becoming really close with. Don't be afraid to be yourself. If you want to wear your hair a different way than normally- do it. I always tell myself that nobody will go home and remember what you wore: everybody is worried about themselves. Be an individual, and love every second of it. Chances are, you probably will never talk to or see most of these people after High School, so don't be worried about embarrassing yourself. Don't be afraid of failure either. I know that college looms over you every time you even think about grades, but you can't wear down your mind like that. If it's 1 am and you have the choice to study or sleep, sleep. If you get a C or below on a test, don't go home and sit in bed for two hours listening to sad music. You can no longer control a bad grade, all you can do is use the negativity as leverage to prove to yourself you can bounce back. Don't obsess over grades either. I've learned that if it's late and I want to draw and take a breather, it's better to tend to your mental health and well being rather than being tied up in stress. It's all about balance- take care of your hobbies and your passions. You need to be okay in your head in order to excel in school.
     My biggest piece of advice for you guys is to just take care of yourself first. I know the stress will try to eat away at your head, but you can tell it to chill, for lack of a better phrase. Eat enough food, nourish your body, drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep, exercise and treat yourself- do anything you feel would make you happy. Don't forget- you are living as well. Your whole life is not school. Well, good luck, and trust me, you'll have a pretty fun time at WMHS.

My Future n Stuff

     I've always been the type to preach living in the moment. At concerts, I barely use my phone, when hanging out with friends, I try not to only focus on taking pictures together. I spend a lot of time just absorbing my life and its motions. Although this is the case, High School has me in the cycle of waking up and wondering what I could do today to prepare for my future. Everyone spends their days preparing for tomorrow- preparing for the rest of their lives, and most are so caught up in that mindset that they don't even realize the life they DO have flashing away before them. This... idea has been in the back of my head for the longest time, and there's this inner conflict that stems from it. Some may call it giving up, but to me, I have become more awake to the reality of the future. The truth is, there is no future, nor no past. There is only right now- this one second I am in, and from this second I will travel to the next like the last one never happened. I found a quote online a few days ago that reads, "No amount of guilt can change the past, just like no amount of anxiety can change the future." You have no idea how this impacted me. It really set straight the conflict I had with all the days I had scheduled, and all the stress I was putting on myself. I realized that I can't spend every day going to school and doing well because I'm afraid to fail. I shouldn't be afraid to fail. I should be able to walk into that building every day like yesterday never happened, and do what today's best is. Last Cross Country season, we had a mantra, "Today's best today," and to me, that is how I want to live the rest of my life. If today's best today is waking up early, putting myself together, and feeling ready for the day, so be it. If today's best today is only having enough strength to brush my hair, great. Every day is a gift- every day is an idea. A day is one of those objects you draw in art class that has all these asymmetrical faces, and when your class sits around it and draws it, everyone draws something different. Everyone chooses the seat they sit in- maybe because it looks easier to draw from that angle- just like some people choose easy ways to look at their lives and their futures: go to school, get an education that guarantees them a job that pays well, and live a comfortable life. Me? Well, today I aspire to be happy. Tomorrow, I might aspire to sleep on park benches forever, or maybe I'll want to live off the grid in the woods. Who knows, I certainly don't. 

Summer

     Lately, it's been getting much warmer outside, which makes me yearn for summer so much more. We're so close to the end of the year, so close all of us can taste it.  The seniors are leaving this month, and all the spring sports are concluding soon as well. To be honest, I've never been more excited for the last day of school in my entire life. 
     Don't get me wrong, High School is actually really fun, but we all need a break.  Although I don't get a break from sports- I have to train for Cross Country in the fall- having a break from school work is just what I need, and I think I speak for everybody on that one. I can't wait to wake up whenever I want, and go for a bike ride or run in the morning before the heat gets too unbearable.  I cant wait to go to the beach and get super tan and dark, and I can't wait for the food. I don't know why, but ice cream, fried dough, and everything bad for you tastes better in the summer.
     Hopefully, this summer lives up to my expectations, and I don't end up sitting in bed all day doing nothing like usual. I also hope that I get to spend this summer with all the new friends I've made so far in High School. Until then, I better finish my homework.