The future. The most stressful, time consuming, and significant mystery of my life.
  
Most would say our teenage years are suppose to be the best of our lives. But how many people contradict that? Dreamers may get so engrossed in their ending, the journey may get lost along the way. It is easy to take the gift of life for granted, forgetting about the memories, yet the best part is the story.
  
When I think about my career, I see the rest of my life. The job I will wake up and go to every morning, come home from every night, the money that will pay bills and keep me afloat. As a sophomore in high school, I have no idea what I want to do for my remaining years. Choosing a career I will spend at least 4 years of my life learning and investing thousands of dollars into can be daunting. How am I supposed to be able to decide the rest of my life at the age of 18? But then I remember, my journey in life is planned, so everything that has and will happen to me is for a reason. A life without these struggles would be dull and unmeaningful.
 
And then there are the little things that come with high school. Sports, social groups, clubs; the things that are supposed to give joy. Our coaches tell us to just have fun and play with our hearts, yet take it serious at the same time. Losing comes with the effort to succeed and for some that is hard to understand. Winning is a high for those who are competitive and can even perceive to be their main goal. You wouldn’t think a high school sport to be stressful and to some it may not be, but for me, that’s exactly what it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sport and improving as I go, but the necessary time and commitment is not easy with that of a school commitment. I have realized the key is being able to manage my time between all my responsibilities. With all of these commitments, I have found no time of my own. Even as I trouble over the necessary amount of time compared to the given, I know it is worth it. Because when I look back on my high school career, these are the memories I will reminisce over.
  
As I sit here writing this essay, knowing it is a small part towards my future, I feel the pressure sitting on my shoulders. Holding the weight of my determined life is no easy burden. At least once a week, I wish I had faith in fate; that no matter how much time or effort I put in, I will still have a prosperous future. But then reality sets in, and I know that’s not practical.Yet, this is the part that I’m taking for granted. These frustrating and tedious moments when I wish I didn’t have to be responsible or grow up. The things that make me so thankful, yet so unthankful. So I ask myself, how am I supposed to be thankful for such aggravating things?
 
I believe life has taught me, the most aggravating responsibilities are the most worthwhile. At times, this quote causes me to stop and think about my blessings, pushing me to realize why I am thankful, “Maybe life isn’t about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it.”

My future. The most worthwhile mystery of my life.