Slow down you crazy child: I must say, Billy Joel was onto something with that line, because after writing so many senior columns (this is the 10th attempt), everything comes back to two things: the fact that I’m crazy, and slowing down; Billy Joel really had it figured out.

Freshmen don’t know much; I was no exception — coming to Blue Valley, I knew nothing; And now, four years later, I know even less. High school is overwhelming, life is overwhelming and there is no easy “guide for dummies” on how to live through it — so, with the aid of Billy Joel, here is what high school, more importantly, senior year, has taught me.

YOU’VE GOT (to find) YOUR PASSION. Focus on what you love, because when everything goes wrong and you feel like there is no one there to aid you, the activities and hobbies will stay constant — so find something, not someone, to use as an outlet. For me, I found consistency with art and color guard —  so find something for you.

YOU’VE GOT (to find) YOUR PRIDE. If I’m honest, I’m still looking for mine, but you’ve just got to fake it till you make it. In the original draft of this, the idea of finding your pride was finding the people you value — those who in your eyes are priceless; unfortunately, a lot of high school relationships end up a lot like fool’s gold. You might put your all into searching for real gold, then you find some, it looks priceless and you give it value, hoping it lives up to it. Then, days, maybe years later, that gold will be evaluated. You’ll get the harsh truth that it didn’t value nearly as much as you thought it would — it was pyrite, so much time and effort put into something that threw those efforts away without giving you so much as a reason.

I’ve been on both sides of this, I’ve been the gold and I’ve been the miner and if I have learned anything from my unfortunate experiences with people, is that even when they turn on you, continue to value them from afar, continue to look out for them, but allow them to leave, even if it hurts, but welcome them back when they need it — the door to those I have loved in the past may be closed, but it will never be locked.

So don’t be fool’s gold, it might be the easy way out, the fading away from something you once loved, seeking avoidance as asylum, BUT YOU KNOW THAT ONLY FOOLS ARE SATISFIED. Satisfaction comes from love and happiness in life. It comes from closure, communication and understanding. So talk to that person you’ve been avoiding, confront the person who made you upset and try to learn to understand each other — it’s the only real way to bring peace. Continue to imagine what could be between those you once loved rather than what it is.

DREAM ON, BUT DON’T IMAGINE THEY’LL ALL COME TRUE — as a freshman, I would always say “I’m not a pessimist; I’m a realist” over the years, I learned that realism, as an excuse for pessimism, is still just pessimism.

I still view myself as a realist, but as someone who hopes and dreams for what could, not what couldn’t. So continue to hope and dream, but be realistic. Assume you can achieve your dreams but do not assume they will happen perfectly — if you tell yourself you’ll achieve all these incredible things without fail, you’ll burn yourself out. Allow yourself to make mistakes, and allow others to make mistakes as well because nothing will ever be perfect.

Life has its insane ways of working, and who knows, if that second chance, second attempt, that forgiveness you give will bring you to something even better. Don’t expect too much, but never cut yourself short because you are made for incredible things.

So, WHEN WILL YOU REALIZE, VIENNA WAITS FOR YOU. So much waits for you, whether you are a senior awaiting college and new beginnings, or a freshman with three more years awaiting you, there is so much to life than you believe. Trust, if you told Katie August of junior year what was to come, she’d scream, cry, cheer, maybe scream some more, cry and then cheer again.

I thought my life was over last summer, I thought my life was over two weeks ago, I thought my life was over writing this, but at the end of the day, life did move on, and I’m thankful for those who are still supporting me after everything.

It’s been a long four years, so, thank you, to Huss, to Mr. Dillon, to Mikayla, Anna, Vivian, Amanda, Bessetti, Janda, Valor, Dollins, to Rowan, to Solace, to Emma, to Claire, to Grandpa and to Maurice.

And to the rest of you, who I can’t thank individually, you’ve got so much ahead of you, so slow down — it’s just high school, not the end of the world.