Too Soon
By Cindy, age 17, Texas
Sometimes I think that we stress too much over those next five or ten years because we feel the urge to plan it out. We already tend to picture what our college experience or job is going to look like and worry if we won't like it. I mean, it's a huge deal when it comes to talking about those major decisions we're going to make in the future. We're going to end up living through that and the worst part would be if we regret it. So how do we even prepare ourselves?
Well, I used to think that maybe having a plan would do the trick, and that I would be sure and not regret anything later. Even I (trying to be perfect and involving myself in plenty) can't control what's out there. And I've proven the fact several times.
Sure, stressing about grades and getting involved in as much as possible to stand out later on is important, but I think we're missing the point of the future. It's supposed to be a time that will come to us sooner or later and show us on its own.
With the need to excel in our future and impress our parents or ourselves, occasionally we need to take a break from all that studying and maybe catch a movie with a friend. This time seems so valuable to us that we don't see that it is a part of our lives as well, and we won't get it back as soon as we pass it. Our teenage years are supposed to be some of the best, and maybe all that stress and worry is only harming us. Do some of us even remember the last time we actually had one of those fun conversations about our trip to the mall and the cute guy we saw working at Hollister, or how goofy we looked in that yearbook picture? Anything that doesn't involve the future is enough, and it's these fun times that we should enjoy. Besides, these times won't come back so we might as well enjoy the years before we finally head off into adulthood.
