Four Years

I remember when I was seven I wanted to stay seven forever, then three years later and what felt like a blink of an eye I was ten and leaving the safety of the elementary school and moving on to a whole new endeavor. Middle school.  My class was the first sixth grade class to go through Tahanto and honestly it’s amazing. I remember the first quarter of school went by so slowly because I was still trying to transition to this new school then first quarter was over and the rest of the year flew by in the blink of an eye.  Poetry, the solar system, time ticked by at what seemed like an ever quickening pace. Then we were shipped off to Maine for a week in the woods. That was one of the best experiences of my life and one that I think of fondly from time to time. Then it was off to seventh grade with new classes, new friends, and new responsibilities.  This was the year we first tried to start the newspaper and failed. Time continued to pass by quicker and quicker, moments passing faster and faster. My sister’s wedding, cross country meets and softball games all passed in a blink of an eye. Soon the end of the year was upon us in a flash and I was moving on to eighth grade, the last year of middle school.  I was growing up to many people’s dismay, my anxiety was starting to show through, it was this year I developed my love for writing stories I worked all year on a story and realized that I wanted to publish a book someday. This was one of my favorite school years ever, I had awesome friends, challenging but fun classes (including a high school Math class), and amazing teachers.  We read awesome books, did projects, had our first taste of exams, and prepared ourselves for high school. I wanted this year to last forever, life was still simple, but seeing as change is inevitable too soon the medieval feast and recognition were upon us and passed way to soon. It’s weird to me that the best times we ever have pass in the blink of an eye. I had to keep moving though because I was in high school, where you have to keep moving.  Friendships faltered and other ones strengthened, my anxiety spiked, and life was so much harder than it had ever been. Good and bad times passed and time ticked on at a still hastening pace, My first homecoming, Midterms, and before I knew what happened it was finals week and then I was done. Freshman year was over before I could even fully wrap my head around high school. Now sitting back and remembering all this while it was going on I thought it would never end but think back to it it surprises my that Four years ago I was a sixth grader trying to find my place in the world.  I am a completely different person than I was four years ago, let alone when I was seven. I have tried new things that I could never imagined doing. If you had asked me when I was seven what I wanted to be when I grew up I wouldn’t have even been able to comprehend the concept of growing up, if you had asked me in eighth grade I would have said a teacher, now I’m looking at culinary schools. If anyone would have told me in sixth grade that in four years I would love to cook I would have laughed. I never thought I would get into cooking and now I never want to stop. I still have two and a half years left of high school but I know those will pass by just as quickly as the last four.  So remember, cherish every moment because it could be gone before you even have a chance to fully understand what is happening and don't be in a rush to grow up. There’s change you can control and change you can’t control, focus on the things you can control and just follow along the rest.