welcoming this senior season in your own way

"In a beautiful world that has come to hooray the hustle, I find my sweet-loving soul rebelliously dancing to the contrary- for this season, busy has no place- busy cannot lasso my time. It is down by the river, sunbathing on silky rocks."

- Tess Guinery 

I love these words. The first time I read them, I immediately knew they would be a defining part of my senior year. 

Traditionally, senior year is a lot. Senior pictures, college applications, part-time jobs, volunteering, clubs, sports, resume-building activities, etc. Basically, a lot of busy. 

Personally, the things listed above really stress me out. Some of them just don't feel necessary yet, but I also feel like they are things I have to do. 

I have struggled with these thoughts for a while now because I don't feel ready for the senior year everyone expects me to have. I still feel like a little girl who wants to live at home and go on bike rides and immerse myself in a good book. I still want to hang out with my family and go on walks and play taylor swift music with my sister. So this senior year prototype seems a bit too much to take right now. 

So, instead of forcing the very powerful expectations of others onto myself, I am trying to create the senior year that I want to have. And I want to encourage you to do the same, no matter where you are at.

This means that whether you feel the exact same way, or the complete and total opposite, I think we all need to take a step back and really be intentional with how we are spending this upcoming year.

 It doesn't matter if you are ready to graduate, or if you never want high school to end. It doesn't matter if you are excited for college, or don't want to go at all. Your senior year is still yours, no matter what you plan to do with it.

This year does not have to look the same for everybody. It does not have to look the way you always dreamed it would be. It does not have to look like others expect it to.

So, how about we make this year a little more meaningful than just applications and resumes. 

Let's take in more of the little things. 

Let's learn something new everyday. Let's laugh and cry a little more freely and put ourselves out of these silly things called comfort zones. Let's make this year less about ourselves and more about those around us. Let's smile at strangers and talk to new people. Let's read good books and write down all our memories.

Let's do the best that we can each and every day and not just look ahead to when it's all over. 

Let's be better friends, better siblings, better sons and daughters.

Let's grow in our faith and encourage others to do the same. 

This year, let's do the things that make us feel alive. 

Yes, this year is important. But no, it is not everything. 

Take it in stride.

And do me a favor... don't stress too much about the afterwards.

 Because guess what? We've got a whole incredible year ahead of us before that happens. 

xx, gracie