Winter Diaries #1 ~ The End

Three weeks of pure stress and no breathing room. All I had was myself, thus the tiny sliver of determination down the drain.

"Enjoy your freshman year because, by senior year, you'll be wishing you could turn back time," a teacher says to me.

I think to myself, what am I doing wrong if this stress is not artificial? Is it how I spend my time? Why is it that I don’t feel satisfied when I don't overwork myself? But I don't want to be this way. I want to enjoy the little time I have left as a kid.

I’m on a call with my friend after a long day of school.

"I can't help but feel regretful of all of my past decisions and how they will affect how I enter the real world after the experiences of now."

He shakes his head. "Why not try embracing the present? You spend so much time worrying about what will happen after you wake up to start a day, but you don't appreciate another morning has opened. Try to change that, and see how you feel."

This whole week, the weather has been gorgeous. There was a day of rain, and every other day the sun glowed in the clear sky, but the air was icy cold.

Time slows down when you don't want it to, and days feel like seconds when you don't realize it. Being present in a moment where you feel you're losing your balance is one of the most important lessons I have learned during the first half of my freshman year, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Congratulations to everyone for making it through this far.

Happy Holidays.

-Chloe