Senior Year in Santee

Senior year feels to me like the last installment in a epic movie franchise. All the villains have been established, the protagonists have conquered the personal illnesses in their hearts, and the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between good and evil...or maybe we've just been watching Lord of the Rings in films class.

But in all seriousness, there does seem to be a sense of finality among the Class of 2012. No longer do students just sit the day away in school counting the minutes on the clock- everyone is in a rush, like an ant hill that's just been disrupted by a curious little boy. The students have come to a sudden realization- that everything their parents told them was true. It did go by fast, and it will end soon.

As students silently, and perhaps emotionally, ponder this extraordinary epiphany, their instincts kick in. So many things have been left unsaid, unresolved! We only have so little time for closure, but how many things are there left to close? Can we even count?

Everyone's thoughts are different, but all are urgent. What about that girl? Does she like me? I don't have very long to find out! And what about college? Are my abilities really that good? Can I get into the school I want? And my friends! They are all going away...will I see them again? Or will I forget them and make new friends? Or will they forget me....?

And amongst all this urgency, there is a comforting feeling of ease. It's like a calm wind blowing down your neck, or a lover massaging your soldiers. Suddenly, our worries and problems seem so trivial. For just a few moments a day, or maybe many moments, we can focus our mind just enough to block out our instincts. We dive into another world, and for what seems like the first time in our lives, we think rationally. We think realistically.

Life moves on and it doesn't wait for anyone. Three years ago, not a single one of us thought that this was true. It was an illusion, we believed, upon which the sole purpose was to push us forward against our will. We almost feel ashamed that we were so naive. Almost.

Have a fun year seniors. We will see each other again someday- partly because of fate, partly because of Facebook. Either way, it's going to be a wild ride.