The Smallest Current Coin

They tell you that these are the best days of your life. And in a way, “they” are right. You’ll go through some of the biggest ups and downs of your life over the course of four short years. As Newton so aptly states, with every action there follows an equal and opposite reaction. You’ll face stressful times; high school will throw more in your face than you’ve ever experienced before. There will be heartbreaks, there will be disappointment, and there will be regret. Regret for not making the most of your time here. Personal experience guides me when I tell you that you must make the very most of your high school career, because if you don’t you’ll look back and wish you could change it. However hard you may try, hindsight will always be 20/20, and you will never be able to go back on these “best days.” So if there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is to make the most of your time here, as I wish I had.

However, here’s a secret “they” don’t want you to know. Although you may believe that these truly are the best days of your life, they are, in reality, only the beginning. Because the moment you walk across that stage and are handed your diploma, you begin a new life; a life full of opportunities and new challenges to overcome. Life is so fond of throwing curveballs, and they can put you on the ground, even though they may very well be the very pitch you were looking for. So step forward in the batter’s box of life, take a deep breath, and fire the ball right back in life’s face as a reminder that you won’t be kept down.

No matter where you are in life, you’ll always look back on high school and smile. And maybe even shed a tear; for the good times, for the bad times, for the fights, the breakups, and everything you loved about growing up in a small town. You may say now that you can’t wait to leave Cheboygan and experience a new life, a life you alone are in control of. But there will always be the days that you’ll look back on and wish you could return to the simple days of high school. So do what you can, with what you have, where you are, and never forget this small town you once called home.

Do not be afraid to try things that will make you great. Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. If you are not “born great,” achieve it. Always remember that the greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. So try everything. Get involved as I wish I had. Don’t be afraid to state your opinion. Nosce te ipsum – Know yourself. Know what you believe in and stand strong against the crowd, and avoid being a lemming. Shel Silverstein once wrote “all the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas layin’ in the sun, talkin’ ‘bout the things they woulda-coulda-shoulda done… But all those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas all ran away and hid from one little Did.” So don’t be afraid to try new things. High school offers countless opportunities, and four years is too short a time to put off making memories. So during your short time here, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Do not merely be a “dreamer of the night.” For, all men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible. Be a dreamer of the day – make your dreams come true. So go, advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to life the life you have imagined, and you will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

I would like to close with the best advice and most inspirational statement I have heard. In the words of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Suess:

“You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own and you know what you know, and YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have speed, you’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you’ll top all the rest.

And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed!) Kid, you’ll move mountains, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so GET ON YOUR WAY!”