Bradley Vaval, Period 1, 3/29/22

Modern Mythology 2022


Bradley Vaval, Period 1, 3/29/22


    With college letters rolling in and the crippling responsibility of having to make a decision slowly following, there are a lot of unprecedented worries to be had, despite what is typically said of a senior year in high school. Nevertheless, I’ve done a scarily good job of ignoring it to put it simply, and I figured it’s about time that changes. The fear of growing up and dawning on new responsibilities as an adult fuels my current outlook on life a lot more than I’d like to admit. And where my view of the future is affected, so are my goals.

    But before one sets goals, they must first have an idea of where they currently are, as goals are where you’d like to see yourself in relation to where you are now. My perception of myself, is rather fluid, depending especially on the context and what’s on my mind at the time. For example, when at school, I’m a student, a high school senior, applying for college, trying to keep going because there are only a couple of months left until I graduate. So in that sense, my goal would be to graduate high school with a good grade and get into a college I like. But that’s not all of me. There is the me who tries his best at the gym, watches what he eats, and tries to get a good amount of sleep, and that me wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle so I don’t neglect my health in the future. Lastly, the me that likes to create, whether it be drawing or making music in my free time or making a video game with a friend, hopes that I continue to find time for my hobbies and that in the future I find a profession that makes me just as happy as my hobbies do.

    But as for an all-inclusive goal that encompasses all current aspects of my life and potential areas for growth, it couldn’t be anything but making sure I don’t lose a part of me during the massive change my life is about to undergo. I cherish being a multi-faceted person who has the mental space to recognize and pursue multiple areas of growth in their life. So as I wrap my high school life up and begin the transition into college, in a hopefully new area, my goal is to continue to watch my health, pursue my hobbies, strive for academic success, and even keep in touch with my friends and loved ones who have helped me get this far. It feels like a tall order in retrospect, however, it is definitely something I am willing to fight for.

    It’s not an uncommon sight to see people completely change while they’re in college, and sadly, it is on occasion not for the better. And it is not that I’m not open to change, because change is undoubtedly healthy, but setting boundaries for how much you let your environment shape you is also important so you don’t lose yourself. For example, seeing senioritis kick into peers at this time of year, whether it is skipping school or not doing assignments, has really made me hone in a lot more on keeping up my academic rigor. Others and older relatives are being lax with their spending habits and partying a lot more, and while I’m not against having fun every once in a while, there’s definitely a limit and due to this exposure, I’m roughly aware of what that is. And god forbid I let myself gain the “freshman fifteen”.

    All in all, while my goal isn’t the most specific of goals, and there isn’t much to do right now besides keeping up my self-discipline, I am extremely passionate about this goal and I think that it will truly make sure that I continue to be a me that I’m proud of.