Don't Waste the Little Things

“You’re going to miss this, you’re gonna want this back, you’re going to wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast.” Trace Adkins, being the well acclaimed artist that he is, made this hit song famous back in 2007. As a kid I listened to the words but never fully understood what he was getting at. As I got older and heard it on the radio, I listened to the words closer and closer. It wasn’t until senior year that I realized the words to be true. I miss the days of car rides with my mom, playing baseball everyday of the week during summer and usually playing until it was dark out. Having little worries and just being a kid. Once senior year came around, I realized it was all coming to an end. I would have to make adult decisions, look at colleges and decide on what I would do with my future. The night before I graduated, I sat on the porch looking across the road and reflected on my life, the easier days, and how in less than 24 hours I’d be walking across the stage with a diploma in hand. Shaking my head, it seemed too soon. I had missed out on all those opportunities because I was focused on growing up way too fast, and at that moment I yearned to go back. On the afternoon of graduation my friends were smiling and ready to receive their diploma, but as we got within fifteen minutes of the ceremony I wished to go back and do it all over. For years I watched my friends complain about how rough school was and how they wanted to leave the little dot on the map we called home. We never realized how good we had it until it was over. Regardless of if you are a freshman who has four years or a senior who has four months until you graduate, take time and reflect. Slow down and appreciate

what you have. Take your classes seriously, don’t take advantage of the friends whom you see day to day, and enjoy the little things. In FFA terms “ Once the gavel taps and high school adjourns…. You’re gonna miss it.”

Regards,

Nathan D. Deatrick