I Missed It While It Was Still Mine

In high school, I dreamed of college. Of leaving town. Of finally being somewhere better. Then I got there—and spent four years thinking: This isn’t what I pictured. Too fast. Too lonely. Too much pretending. And now? Now I look back on high school like it was golden. The late bus rides. The cafeteria laughter. Even the awkward hallway run-ins. The truth is: The “best” version of your life always seems to live in a different timeline. The college you craved is nothing like the one you remember. And the high school you hated is suddenly soft around the edges. We keep chasing the next phase, hoping it will finally feel right. But sometimes, the sweetest parts are the ones we sleepwalked through— too busy hoping for something bigger to realize we already had something good. And now it’s memory. Not home. #NostalgiaHitsLate #UnspokenThings #GrowingUpQuietly #ChasingNext