It’s weird to think about endings. A final destination that, until it happens, only seems like a far away light at the end of a tunnel. It’s weird to finally reach that light, reach the end of the tunnel, and look back and see how far you’ve come. I don’t really like the feeling of arriving at a final destination because it means it’s an ending of something that has taken so long to accomplish. There’s nothing left to accomplish and no tunnel left to travel. Arriving at that final destination and coming out of the tunnel is weird. It’s good and it’s bad, but mostly it’s just a change and a rest from a long journey.

I guess all destinations have to be reached one point or another, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. I didn’t expect my high school tennis career to all of the sudden be whittled down to one last tournament. To be so close to that final time I will ever stop onto a tennis court in an FHC uniform is saddening, and I want more time. I want more of the journey on my way to the destination, but who doesn’t? I’m going to miss the great times dearly because they’ve been such a great part of my time in high school. That journey that I’ve taken with so many people with all its ups and downs and everything in between. It’s coming to a close and all I can do now is look back as I’m forced to continue forward, away and onward from such a great journey.

The thing that looms the most in my mind is playing that final match because, for almost everyone, it culminates in a loss. It’s a sad thought that most people end their high school careers with a loss, something that I especially know I will struggle dealing with. I don’t want to have any regrets about that last match. I want to make it good, and if the match doesn’t go my way, still be proud of how I played. I can’t bear the thought of having my final step before my destination be a stumble. To make the last leg of my journey one that I would rather forget. I can’t let that happen, and after the whole, arduous journey reach my destination in such an unsatisfactory way. I keep having to remind myself that this is it. My final chapter is about to be written and I have to make it count. Make this last tournament one to remember and one that I can walk away from as being a good destination to end my high school tennis career at.

Yet, even though my final destination will mark an ending, I hope that what really stays with me is the journey. I hope my journey and everything I’ve done along the way is what I remember and what I am proud of. And, if everything goes right, just maybe arrive at my final destination in a happy and pleasant fashion. I look back and realize how fun my journey has been to get where I am but also try to contemplate how it all happened in a flash. It all goes by so fast and even though the journey seems long and grueling while in its midst, it’s just a wave of memories looking back. The good days and the bad days all meshed into one journey that is my high school tennis career, and it’s sad to think that it’s done, that the journey is over and only the arrival remains.

But what I’m most sad about is the people. The people that I’ve shared this journey with and with whom I’ve endured all of its ordeals. Out of all the things I will miss as I arrive at my final destination and move on, the people that have been beside me, behind me, and in front of me leading me on are what I will treasure when I reminisce. So as my final destination draws near, and my journey comes to an end in one abrupt halt, I only hope that I can make it a good last step and remember those who have helped make the journey an amazing adventure.