“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” Ferris Bueller once said.

I do not think I really got this quote until I started my senior year. I looked back on my high school career and realized that the four years had gone by really quickly. It was all a blur and all I could remember during that time was all the textbooks that I knew in and out, and all the late nights studying. However, what I could not remember was the fun nights spent with my friends or family.

That is why I am thankful for this time.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am upset by the fact that there is no in-person graduation and prom. I mean we all remember the letter I wrote to the senior class at the beginning of this, but I wanted to take a step back and put some things in perspective for us seniors.

In about three months, we will be moving all over the country, away from the friends and family that we have known for so long. And if you are anything like me, you were supposed to go jet setting this summer and probably not even see your family as you spent every last second with your friends. But now, with this time, we actually are forced to spend time with our families. And what I’ve realized is this “forced” family time is much needed and appreciated before I leave for college.

I have enjoyed an immense amount of laughter, finding out secrets I did not know about my family and just cherishing my love for them. I know that at this age we often drift from our parents as we grow up and move out, but perhaps this period of time can be used to grow closer with them.

That is not to say there will not be fighting and or feelings of frustration from spending too much time with them. But let’s make sure that we are present in this time for the positives as well. While it is true that there is so much negativity surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic,, there is a real opportunity to get closer to your family and cherish them before you move away.

Remember Class of 2020, “just keep swimming!”