Another day, another slay
As my high school journey comes to a close, here are some of the most important things I've learned.
If you’ve ever heard me speak, you’d probably use the word “extra” to describe me, or at least, my language. Everyone has been pestering me to include “slay” somewhere in my column, so I might as well center this around my iconic language (see, I’m already doing it). With the help of some of my most-used words and phrases, here are some things I’ve learned in high school.
“I hate people.” I think the lesson here is pretty obvious. Some people suck, so why waste time caring about whether they like you? You don’t even like them.
“YOLO.” Everyone is way too focused on themselves to care about you. Just think about it: can you remember what the person who sits next to you in math was wearing yesterday? Two days ago? A week ago? You were probably thinking about yourself, as most people are when you’re worried they’re judging you. So, you might as well do what you want: wear what you want, listen to the music you want and talk however you want.
“That’s so silly.” I say this when things are far from “silly.” The past four years have been a silly little roller coaster, and even now, things still feel all over the place. Some days, I feel like I’m healing; others, I feel stuck. Healing isn’t linear, and grief doesn’t just disappear. You’ll learn to work with it, and even on the silliest days, you’re still growing.
“Pop off.” Don’t be afraid to pop off. Don’t feel bad for growing — growing faster or in a different direction than others. Be proud of your growth. Embrace it. You aren’t meant to be the same person forever, be around the same people forever or have the same dreams forever.
“Slay.” Probably my most-used word of the year. The word that has somehow, through its mere existence, taught me to always be myself. I’ve learned to embrace who I am, even my funky way of speaking. If there’s one thing I can get you to take away from this, it’s that no matter what, just keep slaying.