“I can’t wait for Friday.””I can’t wait for summer.””I can’t wait to have freedom in college.” The expression “I can’t wait” is thrown around in our lives often. Why can’t we wait?

Our years in high school and even on Earth are slim, and this is widely known. All through students’ lives we are told that these four years will speed by, but if that’s true, then why do Mondays seem to inch on forever? The last five minutes of school before summer break feel like they take up half of the school year. “I can’t wait for summer” doesn’t quite sound the same when you realize that summers won’t be what they used to be in a few years.

It is so easy to let your mind wander to what summer will look like or what the next school year will hold. High school years on average are less than 6% of your life, but they will contain so many memories with the people you love, that it won’t seem like only 6%.

We “can’t wait” because we don’t think our lives are enough as they are. It is important for us to be appreciative of what we have when we have it. High school, summer, and friends only last for so long.

Instead of labeling your time as waiting, think of it as enjoying what you’re doing at the moment. The opportunity you have right now is something that someone else is begging to experience. Never take these “little” moments for granted, for someday, or to someone, they might not be so little.