always looking forward, never being satisfied. You don’t often look back. You aren’t burdened with the knowledge that the present will never come again.
Teenhood is
being burdened with knowing this is the time to be present so you can look back as an adult. It is hard, though. You can’t help from looking back already, even though you know you should be present; this makes you feel like an adult, for better or for worse.
Adulthood is
trying to be present and satisfied. It turns out to be a burden. It is so easy to look forward or back and thus not being present. It is best to not dwell on that, but sometimes you can’t help it; the present is now, and never again.
Seniority is knowing to be satisfied. You look back and know it is good in the end. You don’t waste much effort looking forward; you’re there now.
--Mettabel T., 9th-12th Grade