Chronicles of an Observant Senior

[Tanima]

3)

During English class today, I took a closer look at my classmates and noticed the changes that each person had undergone.

My mind flashed back to freshman year, a time when we were neophites in high school, a time when everyone seemed more alive. I thought about the countless laughs we had shared, the boring assemblies we had attended, the teachers that we had gossiped about, and the the assigments we had stressed over together.

Each person counts on the next for company. Some are closer friends than others and some only interact when necessary but regardless we all are classified as a collective.

As I sifted through the memories, I realized how little time we had left with each other.

I though about how ten years down the road, I would never see most of these people again. We would all lead different lives, become involved with different people, and experience different things.
I thought:
Some of us might become filthy rich.
Some of us might appear in tabloids.
Some of us might find cures for supposedly incurable diseases.
Some of us might get married and have loads of children.
Some of us might move to another country.
(etc...)

And when we all had found our niche and established ourselves as independent individuals living in America, or elsewhere, we would remember the times spent afterschool, hanging out with our friends. Or the crazy weekends spent partying and procrastinating homework.

All these possibilities overwhelmed me and just when I was thinking about all this, Time came through the door and punched me in the face.

After this year, I would no longer identify myself as an Atlantic senior, as a part of the IB class of 2010.
What, where, and who would I be with if anyone, in 10 years? Would I keep in touch with any of my current friends? Would I fall off the face of the Earth? What would everyone else be doing?

I tried to imagine us all as adults with full-time jobs and families. Then, I looked at my teacher and tried to imagine all my teachers as really really old, pent up in nursing homes and confined to wheelchairs and beds. The thought of both my classmates and teachers aging made me shudder. Time scares me.

I snapped back into reality to take out a sheet of paper for a group activity and once again, returned to examining my peers. We all had changed in one way or another. Some in appearance(although for some reason, I feel like no one has aged or undergone a drastic change in appearance since freshman year, but thats me) and some in personality. I acknowledged these changes, noting that I too, had changed and for a brief moment, felt happy to be a part of such a diverse group.


SO the point is:
Your classmates, your peers, the same people who you've been in classes with since the beginning of high school, exist(obvious, I know). They've changed. So have you. Take a closer look at those who you have spent your high school years with. Not only your friends but others who you might not talk to as much. Be aware that these are the people with whom you have spent the most time with and more been influenced by, directly or indirectly and whether you realize it or not.

After high school, you may never see these people again so cherish the time you have with them because ultimately, if one of you becomes famous, you always want to be able to say "hey, I went to high school with him/her" (and possibly upgrade from your cardboard box of a residence to a room in a million dollar mansion.)