“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.” — John Green

Four years here and then four years gone in a blink of an eye — time really does fly.

It would be great if I could reminisce over everything that has happened to me in the last four years, but — truth be told —  in my head, it’s one big blur.

Everything is jumbled together.

I’m not trying to write off high school as something not important or trying to say I didn’t make memories here, but high school is just high school — whatever happened to you here will not dictate your future.

No one will remember your many State titles won or that you were top ranked out of the entire class. Sure, you might, but in the end no one really cares enough to remember.

I’m not trying to downgrade the many achievements and recognitions this class has had, but it’s the truth.

To be completely honest, I probably won’t see or talk to most of the people in this class after I walk out of the doors and throw my graduation cap into the air.

For a majority of us, our life journeys with each other end on May 15.

I’m fine with that because life moves on, and we all have the rest of our lives to get to.

High school is four years out of the rest of our lives — it’s a small infinity out of the many more and many larger ones to come.

Although the moments within this brief period of my life flash quickly through my head, I am truly grateful for each and every one of them.

Within this infinity, I’ve met characters who flew headfirst with me into adventures through city and country roads and have experienced days filled with laughter as well as autumn nights spent with a then stranger beneath the stars above our heads that stretch far across into the billions of infinities being created in galaxies eons away.

There were moments of sore feet as my heartbeat pulsed to the rhythm of music off in Wonderland as well as early morning breakfasts and pancakes drowning in a sea of syrup without a care in the world.

Within this little infinity of mine, I also watched the light in my best friend’s eyes leave the world in the hours before dawn as my family and I raced to save his life.

I watched myself fall into the last warm, furry hug I would feel from him.

I stood beside my mom as she lay asleep in the hospital bed after surgery and X amount of chemotherapy treatments, and I ingrained every detail of her peacefulness into my mind knowing I’d be shown her strained brave face by the time she was awake.

In the end, I’ve discovered that high school is an infinity.

Even though at times it seemed to drag on, sometimes it sped up to the point where I couldn’t keep up and wanted to scream “stop.”

Yet, I learned to be present in every millisecond of it — to treasure what I have, to appreciate moments for what they are.

Truth be told — I wouldn’t want to reminisce about every experience of high school.

My body lived in those moments.

My emotions walked through those halls.

My soul wandered through life’s lessons and now, my mind is ready to embrace my next infinity — jump into a car, grab some old friends and go.

We’ll be gone in a blink of an eye, and that’s not a terrible thing. Okay?