Dear Readers,

We did it! Quarter 3, new me! Definitely. Definitely didn’t write 15 divided by 3 is 3 on my math quiz last week. Definitely.

Anyways, to all you seniors, CONGRATS for making it to the second semester! It was a tough one, and I’m sure the senior slump already started in sophomore year, but the point is, we made it! It took lots of crying over the difference between velocity and acceleration, contemplating life decisions after finding a negative distance on your math test, and learning instead of revising the day before a test (oops), let’s be real. 

However, there were also times when we shared laughs with many (an inside joke from freshman year is still relevant today). As semester one ended, thoughts about the “last time” flooded my mind. The last time I took a gym class in high school, the last time I went on my lunch walks with my friend, the last time I TA’d for my teacher, the last time I shared a free with my friend, etc. Some last times feel good (like the last time we stare at a mechanics physics test wondering where we went wrong), yet others seem to bring a feeling of sadness or nostalgia. 

I did a lot of thinking about this over the past weekend following the end of the quarter (way better than studying for my physics cumulative, isn’t it?). In the past four years, we have definitely experienced some negative, unideal emotions, and those are often what our mind jumps to. However, with that, we tend to forget about all the good times.

Last times are interesting. Sometimes, you know when it will be the last time. I believed that thinking about last times would prepare me for the emotions it brings. Yet, I haven’t been able to help but still feel a pang of sadness, and I wondered, why? I’m no psychologist, so please don’t quote me on this or sue me, but I feel that this mental preparation was a coping mechanism for myself but one that avoided reality; the last time would still come. 

No matter how much you prepare yourself, the feeling will still hit you, whether that be positively or negatively. The truth is, even if you think you know when the last time will be, it can be unpredictable. Perhaps you think you know when the last time is so you envision how you’ll spend that time. In reality, you don’t know what will come your way during that last time. It hurts, but you may realize that due to that, the last time was over and you just didn’t know it.

Time doesn’t come back, so as you embark on the second semester of your senior year, don’t forget to take time to appreciate the good instead of just focusing on the bad. As you perhaps start thinking of last times like I do, don’t feel bad if it hits you negatively, because that’s natural. Don’t hesitate to move forward with an act of kindness or laugh at a joke that is definitely old now. I’ve found that it’s the risks I’ve taken to live my days how I’ve wanted to that have brought me the most happiness now in the future, even if I was hesitant in the past. Turns out, acting in the moment (when appropriate, of course) helped me not feel a sense of regret, but rather that of satisfaction later on. As cliché as it sounds, live each day like it’s your last. You’ll thank yourselves for it later.   

Until next time,

Nikki