LETTER: Liggie matric says goodbye

Praise Ngubeni (gr 12) writes:

The average human lives until the age of 70.

Blessed enough to have reached 18 years of grace, I have lived long enough to learn a valuable lesson.

A lesson in something that is even more valuable itself. The value of time. Time is abstract.

Understanding this has helped me come to peace with the fact that these five years feel more like five months, or even five hours.

I sometimes feel like a character in a movie; but sadly this movie has no pause or rewind button. Nonetheless, it is just as cinematic and breathtaking.

The five years of my high school experience have been everything but plain.

I realise now that every moment of joy, pain, disappointment, or complete contentment contributed towards developing a stronger mind and character for my future.

The future, even in its crippling uncertainty, is very exciting.

These five years have set the path for me to begin walking towards beautiful things.

As my school shoes go off and my grown-up shoes come on, it is evident that this chapter has finally come to a close.

My time in high school has taught me to embrace change, to persevere through challenges, and to show empathy and passion in every circumstance.

High school has been a transformative journey, and I am grateful for the privilege, along with every memory and lesson.