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as senior year is quickly approaching, i can't help to think how fast these past few years have went by. in these years, i've laughed a lot, cried a lot, smiled a lot, have been hurt a lot, grown a lot, the list never ends. but one thing i wish i would have realized sooner is how to appreciate every moment. how to appreciate those moments where i felt upset just as much as the moments where i couldn't stop laughing. because this is high school. this is being a teenager. and it only happens once. we can never go back, the clock never stops ticking. just think, years from now, when you are married and have a beautiful family, you don't want to look back on your teenage years and wish you would have done something different. you don't want to look back and think that you didn't give it your all, that you didn't do things you loved with full passion, that you could have done something else rather than what you actually did. man, appreciate everything. be in the now. live in the moment. if you want to do something, do it. if you want to tell someone something, tell them. this is completely off topic, but i think we can all agree on the statement that band kids are different. it's obvious. i am in the band but in all honesty, i can't play a single note. then why am i in band? because i am a majorette. because when i take the first step into west thomas stadium with the baton in my hand and hearing the percussion behind me, it sends chills up and down my body. i love the thrill of performing in front of a prideful community that loves their syrupmakers. but most importantly, i look around at all the people i'm surrounded by. that's my family. and not just anyone could fill those places. band kids have relationships with others like i've never seen before. the love and compassion i feel from my peers makes me feel confident about myself. every moment we have spent together, the tears, the sweat, the blood, the heat strokes, the bruises, it's all worth it. because in those moments, we find the best in ourselves. sure, we might be complaining about how hot it is and how we are going to pass out if we run the set one more time (and we always run it 6389374747 more times) but then we lean on each other and remember why we do what we do. and it's well worth every second. in those moments where you perform in front of thousands of people, you realize there is no where else you'd rather be. you wouldn't choose anyone else but those people around you. these past few days i have spent at a leadership conference with the leaders of the cairo high school band and i enjoyed every second of it. running off of three hours of sleep isn't fun. but it's worth it because the previous night, we stayed up until three in the morning just talking. just getting to know each other. we shared secrets, we shared our fears, we shared so much with each other. and i wouldn't trade that time with those girls for anything else. there was nothing i would have rather been doing. those moments where it's midnight and you are all ridiculously tired but you continue to hang out because you cannot stop laughing at each other. those are the moments i wouldn't trade for the world. i love my band. i'm going to miss this. the value of your time is so important. choose to be present in every second. shut off your phone. unplug from social media for a little bit. work on you. serve others. love others. do something that you are passionate about. make yourself proud. be in the moments you have with the people you love. you're going to miss this.