For time to slow down. I am not just talking about the thin golden wristwatch I bought antiquing with my mother and sister a few weeks ago that runs extremely slow, I mean time itself. If I were to compare the little hourglasses full of sand that accompanied board game boxes to my high school career, the top would appear nearly empty as the bottom continues to fill with sand. Though to my dismay, my life is not a board game; I have no control of my piece, and cannot lay the hourglass on its side to pause time. But Santa, if you can spare it, a little extra time would be great right now. 

If you were to look up the word “time” and expand the box in Google, eight definitions with a multitude of sub-bullet points would appear. Time is a fundamentally remarkable thing that has multiple explanations and remains a critical foundation in humans’ day-to-day lives. Scientists have devoted their entire careers to understanding how time works in hopes to travel within it. Time measures the start and end of a day, marks when seasons begin and end, the cycles of the sun and moon, birthdays, historical events and more. Marty and Doc from “Back to the Future” can travel through time, but I have no choice but to continue moving forward. 

I am a senior in high school and can feel the sounds of a grandfather clock ticking in my head with every milestone I accomplish. My first day of senior year, completing the first semester which sends off my last impression to colleges, submitting my college applications and even some mundane things happened for the last time. I want to maintain good habits with my classes and extracurriculars, but I also want to spend more time with friends and family before we part ways. Half the school year is almost over, and I, alongside many others of the class of 2023, am facing the truth. College decisions are about to come pouring out and while the future remains exciting, I fear that all this planning for our future will make us miss the present. 

I consider my time management skills to be adequate, and even with the help of my google calendar planning, it feels like I do not have enough time to accomplish my goals and enjoy high school before it is over. I want to lay the hourglass on its side, stop the grandfather clock’s pendulum from swinging and just pause in the moment. 

I know now that it is not about having time but making time. I make a lot of things: cookies, lasagna and even lemon squares, yet somehow 24 hours in a day does not seem long enough. But not all hope is lost.

Now that I am writing to you Santa, I may not need your help at all. As motivational coach Michael Altshuler once said, “The bad news is time flies… but the good news is that you’re the pilot.” Senior year is flying by quickly, but that is a good thing — time flies when you are having fun. I am in control of how I spend the 24 hours of my day. Why should I mourn leaving my friends before it has even happened? Hanging out with my friends and family is enough, even if the time feels too short. 

So, Santa, of course, if you want to pull out a time-turner like the one Hermione Granger had in the Harry Potter series, or want to just slow things down a little, it would be greatly appreciated. However, even without this gift, I know that feeling like time is escaping me means I am spending it correctly. 

Winnie the Pooh said it best, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”