Dear Students, Everything is Temporary
September 24, 2021
Hey you,
Our lives are filled with hundreds of temporary moments. From losing your first tooth to that awkward stage in middle school to stubbing your toe on the kitchen table to knowing every lyric to Call Me Maybe. (That one might not be temporary because lets be honest, we all still know that one.)
But out of all these things, people tend to lose sight of one thing in particular that is temporary: emotions.
The excitement you felt when you woke up on Christmas morning in second grade – that was temporary.
The comfort you felt when you snuggled up with your mom while she read you a bedtime story – that was temporary.
The happiness you felt when you scored a goal – that was temporary.
All of these moments aren’t to make you miss those times or feel sad, but just to remind you that our lives are full of temporary moments and temporary feelings.
The pain you feel after a heartbreak – temporary.
The guilt you feel when you let someone down – temporary.
The loneliness you feel when you are left to wonder why you lost a friend – temporary.
Every moment of every day, whether it is good or bad, is temporary.
Every feeling you feel is temporary.
No two days are the same, and no two people are either.
We live in a world where everyone’s a critic, and we beat ourselves up when we aren’t “perfect” enough to meet the standards. We live in a world where in order to be worthy of anything, we are expected to look a certain way, say the right things, and never make a mistake. This world can be impatient and unkind. We are often impatient and unkind to ourselves. We lose interest if a TikTok is longer than 15 seconds and if we have to sit at a red light longer than 60. And it’s not an easy world to live in.
Let this be your reminder to give yourself a little grace and be kinder than you think is necessary. Please don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions. We have our whole lives ahead of us and whole futures to live for. Nothing lasts forever. Feelings come in waves, and then they are gone again.
Go into the world with love for yourself and the people around you. Make memories. Take risks. Love hard and laugh lots. Because in the end, tomorrow isn’t promised and life is fragile. Life is temporary. We are all temporary.
But that doesn’t mean our effect on each other and the world has to be.
Love, Me