you strive for perfection gotta be the smartest gotta be the best A's and B's are the only grades your eyes will view you, check your Parentlink religiously 20 hour days in attempts to prove something to someone who probably doesn't care no social life, no your best friends are Microsoft word and flash card apps a boyfriend? why of course his first name is no, last name homework... but ever so often you cheat on him with a good nights sleep a good nights sleep that replaces the memories you're supposed to be making the high school years you're supposed to be enjoying late nights partying? more like late nights cramming Saturday matinees ? more like Saturday SAT prep and when you finally cross the finish line and get your diploma it all settles it all settles in that no one cares you go to college and there's a campus full just like you a bunch of high gpa's and low social lives and you still have yet to realize you're just a factory worker in training you treat college just like high school a 21 year old unemployed ****** with expectations that have just been kicked in the stomach nose in the books as apposed to the sky no dreams just harsh realities it all marinates with you mentally that you just studied a complete 8 years of your life away when you become a nothing but a statistic no longer the best no longer the smartest an average salary an average job and an average life with no memories to reminisce on no crazy college stories to tell your boring spouse no cute high school sweetheart stories to tell your boring kids and now all you have is emptiness and a cubicle because while preparing for your future you lost sight of the present in attempts to be a young adult you forgot to be a teenager you climbed uphill mountains to live the middle class life you avoided and now you're just hoping that someone will take you seriously when you put "Honor Roll student" and "passed Calculus" in your obituary because other then reproducing a couple more pencil pushers you've accomplished nothing and no, no I'm not pessimist I take things for what they are and living unfulfilled, or having no "yolo" moments in your life is not something that should be taken lightly we, break our backs and blister our hands to end up making 30 thousand dollars a year and for what to be another functioning member of society did you ever have dreams? or did practicality and necessity beat those useless obliterating hopes? the only momentos you have from your wild years is your diplomas and your regrets there is no praise for the high school student who partied away their future but next to alien species finding a healthy balance is the least known thing to man so live fully, live honestly, shine brightly, fulfill every hope, fill every crack, fold every crease attempt every dream, leave your doors open, for someone less fortunate then you couldn't unlock one if they got a miracle life slows down for no one. don't forget to take a moment, to stop and smell the roses.