Equilibrium and Seeing the Bigger Picture

 I guess Mr. Moore was right. Equilibrium is the happy place. It's like sitting in a warm chair on a frosty day. But it always seems like we're never there. There's always something to worry about or be annoyed at. Can't we all just chill? 

I've found myself finding the importance of trying to reach equilibrium as best as I can. Balancing intense academic engagement with personal and emotional investment with my friends. I ended up finding out that it's not a fairy tale. Grit at the sacrifice of your personal relationships is not rewarding in any sense. My parents saw a change in me this year as well. I've been hanging out more with my friends, and I've been able to be more chill when it came to school. Now in the fall, my parents instantly sounded the alarms and told me that senioritis could not cost me my college applications. I felt more sure of myself during that time that I wasn't becoming complacent - I was really just discovering that there was more to life than just grades. It sounds cliche, but it's true. I've learned to cherish my relationships, not just with my friends, with my family, with my teachers, and even with strangers. I didn't even expect to make more friends this year, but it's been so rewarding. In the midst of a very stressful year, I've leaned on my friends more than I have in the past, and I've learned that those around us can carry our burdens and help us get through tough times. I want to look back on this year with nostalgia and longing for a time when things were easy because I know the future only brings greater challenges, but I also want hope to see this year as a turning point in my life when I just started to look at the bigger picture.