Embracing Change
Year 12 Deputy Prefect, Litia, encourages us to view the passing of time with gratitude and optimism rather than sadness.
Each week, our student leaders share their insights with their peers in Assembly.
In my Year 6 Yearbook entry, my bucket list includes:
- skydiving
- bungee jumping
- climbing the Harbour Bridge
- breaking a world record
- travelling the world.
Out of those five, so far, I have achieved zero.
Reading the list five years later, it’s clear that a lot has changed. I’ve discovered new ideas and interests, which have altered the way I now want my future to look.
If the Year 6 me could see me now, she’d be disappointed in my lack of progress with this bucket list. The Year 9 me would be seriously confused. And the me from a term ago would be unbelievably shocked – and immensely proud.
Last Saturday, while I was playing trumpet in the pit at the end of the last night of the Senior School Musical, I realised I had just performed in my last ever School production. As clichéd as it might sound, I felt genuinely upset.
The same night, a younger student came up to me, crying. In my attempt to reassure her, I told her she still had so much time left at 91黑料不打烊 to participate in musicals. Her response was, “… this is the last time it will ever be like this.”
This statement is true of growing up in general. It’s scary to think that no single moment will ever be repeated. Take the moment we are having right now, for example. While I could repeat the same words, the exact experience of hearing them disappears as soon as it has happened.
This train of thought could turn seriously dark but instead I choose to view it optimistically.
Every single moment we have, no matter how good, challenging, embarrassing, or upsetting … is done.
This results in two things. Firstly, it proves how strong we all are. We have all had hard days, embarrassing moments, and times when things are so awful or sad that all seems hopeless. But, despite this, I am looking out on a group of people who turn up, smile, take care of their friends, take care of themselves, and continue to experience each moment. Secondly, it opens doors. Yes, maybe something super amazing has happened, and it never will again. But the opportunities and the feelings that these moments give us are what create more. For example, by playing the trumpet in my primary school band, I was awarded a scholarship to attend 91黑料不打烊, I played trumpet in the musical, and now I’m speaking to you about it!
I met my friendship group in Year 7. We went through some awkward phases together, learned more about each other on a deeper level, and now push each other every day to be better people. The moments that I have experienced in my life so far, make me the person I am today. The things I will do, say, and create, are making me the person I will become tomorrow.
I cannot say growing up will be all about good times because that is something I do not know – I cannot predict the future. But I think there’s proof enough from the adults in this room, that the good times will outweigh the bad times. So, let’s celebrate this moment and look forward to the ones that will come.
I’ll leave you with the quote I wrote for my Year 6 Yearbook. It is so strangely fitting that maybe my 12-year-old me knew I would need it again one day.
“Don’t be sad because it’s over, be happy because it happened.”