I finally had the moment this Saturday. I was going to visit my cousins (more like sisters) and other friends that were back in town this weekend. The family I was visiting at the house were people I never  thought I would ever have to live without and yet today I do. One lives in New York, two live in Chicago, another I never see because she’s so busy.  As I walked up to the house that I had spent most of my childhood, I had the moment I’d been waiting for.

This whole year has been a flash and honestly had been just another year to me.People kept saying “it’s senior year” but I didn’t really process it. I hadn’t had that moment where I knew everything was going to change until I was walking up that house Saturday night.

At the beginning of high school they  say enjoy it because before you know it it’s over. It’s one of the most cliche lines but it’s one of the truest things I’ve heard. I remember walking into Mr. Lowe’s civic’s class freshman year with Lauren Ryan sitting next to me. I remember my first day of APUSH when Mr. Labenz made us take a test on the first couple chapters and we all failed. I remember winning a Regional Championship in girls basketball. And I remember wearing our Sick-One-Six shirts the first day of senior year. These things feel like they happened last night not 9 months ago and certainly not 4 years.

All those things and many others and I find myself not even sad those things are ending. Memories will come and go in every part of life but you’ll never get the people back. I won’t hear Caroline Kuiper say “frand” anymore, I won’t see Michael Tanis with his Starbucks every morning, I won’t hear Mr. Pierce say “Good Morning Yobs” because he doesn’t know which one is which. Those moments I want to cherish forever. Those moments are the ones I want to hold onto.

All this bounced around in my head as I was walking up to that house. Life is full of millions of moments all strung together and in that moment I’ve never been more terrified in my life. The this is it moment. Before I could even grasp what had just happened it was gone, just like senior year.