Recently, I was lucky enough to experience a moment of epiphany that changed the way I viewed my life

I didn’t understand it at first because it happened during that “be all end all” transition between high school and college

I didn’t go directly to college at first, because at the time I was enlisted in the military

That did not go according to plan

I had no plans that didn’t revolve around completing my training

However, my epiphany didn’t occur until I went back to my old high school just for old times sake, and ended up becoming an intern for a while

I worked for my favorite teacher every day doing various and sometimes strange tasks

For eight weeks I grew older each day, as I learned from my teachers in ways that no student could

Let me tell you, sitting in on meetings was an entirely different world for starters

Everything was going great, but I had yet to experience my true epiphany

As I was preparing to start college, that was when my moment of epiphany happened- on my last day interning

It was an ordinary day all around, my slightly too loud friends and I were crowding the senior lounge, talking about things I no longer remember,

but this time I took a little more time to look around and truly remember everything that was happening

While I was looking around, it was if time slowed down and everyone around me moved in slow motion

The reality hit me that I had never truly appreciated high school for its inert beauty, hidden behind rambunctious teenagers and cafeteria food that never smelt quite right

This was where I became the person I am today, and met all the friends I am so thankful to have

In that moment, it also occurred to me that, even though I had never appreciated it during my four year stint, there was nothing stopping me from doing so now

Starting college did not mean I had to leave high school behind forever for fear of never growing

Because there was still so much school had to offer, even after I thought I had outgrown it

My epiphany was so simple

The fact that I will never stop learning throughout my entire life

That I didn’t need to shut my past behind closed doors because, in doing so, I would miss out on so many valuable experiences

Visiting my past has made me eager for the future because I can look back at my previous growth and expect to grow even more

It’s hard to know what you are learning when it’s happening because you’re too busy living in the moment to pay attention to the lessons you might be learning

In that one fleeting moment of epiphany, my eyes were opened to the magnitude of just how far I’ve come and the potential I have to make the most out of everywhere and everything I am going to do with my life