I still remember the very first day of my freshman year of high school. I remember walking up those steps alone, searching to find a familiar face in the crowd of my new classmates. I remember how terrified I was when I walked into my first class and sat down at a strange desk in a class full of unknown people. Now my junior year is coming to an end, and I find myself with this feeling once again.

Lately, all I have been hearing about are AP tests, the SAT, and college. To be honest, all these things frighten me. It is difficult for me to grasp the reality of how little time I have left in high school; of how little time before I have before I go off to college, and no matter how hard I try not to think about it, it always finds a way to creep back into my thoughts.

It is funny how when you’re young, you think the days will last forever. We never notice how quickly time actually progresses until we wish for it to slow down. My mother always told me that life happens fast, but I never understood her words fully because, at that moment, time seemed to be going at a slow pace. Now, at this point of my life, time seems to be rushing right past me and no matter how hard I try to grab it and slow it down, it slips through my fingers and continues on its way. Sometimes I wish I could start it all over again. Back to the beginning of my childhood when my only worries were when the mud pies would be done or when my mother would be coming home from work. Though I wish with all my heart that those distant memories could be relived right now, I know that this will never happen, and the understanding of this truth causes me a great deal of sadness.

Now that my youthful days are limited, I suppose it is best to make the best of them while I can. I am absolutely positive that I cannot be a child forever, and I assume that now is a better time than ever to enjoy the carefree feeling of childhood while I still can, because before I know it, a year will have passed and I will be ready to graduate. I just pray that the year does not happen too soon.