Life’s like a road that you travel on
When there’s one day here, and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.
That’s from Cars (2006)*. And at least so far in my life, it’s true. There’s struggle and there’s pride, but at the end of the day you just keep marching down that road.
Senior reflections are “just not that deep” according to my fellow Editorial Board member Seyun Park. As I sat down to write this reflection, this is what he said: “At the end of the day, you’re a kid, an 18 year old, reflecting on the last four years of mindlessness.”
Do I agree with this? I don’t think so. Maybe a little bit? Because yes, he is right in some ways. Despite all of the change and growth I’ve gone through these last four years at WJ, I realize I’m nowhere near done developing as a person. I realize I may never speak to more than a couple of the people I’ve gone to high school with after we all graduate and go on to the rest of our lives.
But at the same time, I really am such a different person than I was four years ago. Than I was two years ago. Probably than I was at the beginning of this school year. Because that’s what happens in high school, in these years. We change, we grow, we make mistakes, we learn. We make friends, we lose them. We feel happy, we feel sad, we feel excited, we feel anxious.
Now truth be told, my four years at WJ have not been the greatest. But they certainly have been far from the worst. I’ve felt down and lonely and anxious at times in this school, but not in the Pitch. So thank you. Thank you to Mrs. Borrelli and everyone I have met and worked with on Pitch staff for teaching me more about teamwork and leadership and the importance of just being yourself.
Thank you to the ultimate frisbee team for lighting and fueling a passion. Thank you to Mr. Kempner for three amazing years of not just photography, but inspiration, life lessons and friendship in your classroom.
Let me return you, if you’ve pushed through the sappy muck of the rest of this reflection, back to that great song featured in an even greater movie.
Life’s like a road that you travel on
When there’s one day here, and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.
There’s a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won’t haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore.
Go down that road. Don’t be afraid of the challenges. Find the good, treat people well, say hi to that person you’re always meaning to. Life is a Highway. I’ll let you decide what you make of it.
*For my dad reading this, yes, I know the original is not from the movie and is by Tom Cochrane in the 90s.
