As I was growing up, my father strove to instill in me a sense of self-motivation, drive, and a desire to grow in my knowledge and personal betterment. Each day, before school, he would send me off with a simple adage: “Have a good day, make good choices, and be smart.” It is by these words that my perspective on my experiences, actions, and decisions was shaped. To have good day, I’ve learned, is to be present. To enjoy that which surrounds me and participate in the fullest sense. To think of my choices from a morale perspective has shaped my ethical and philosophical views. It has opened me up to think about how I can make choices to benefit myself and those around me in the best ways. Finally, reminding me to be smart stands as the most powerful message of the three. It encourages me to put all of myself into my pursuits. To focus and work hard in every challenge and maintain my rationale in each and every situation that falls before me. Through this short phrase, my father shared the wisdom of presence, love, and care that would be the very building blocks of my character. It has opened my passions to those traits and allowed me to search for wisdom of my own, lifting me above the problems that would drag me down and allowing me to be a guiding light to others. Beyond all shadow of doubt, this advice is the wisest thing I’ve ever heard.

The idea for this piece started out last summer as I was lying by my partner after a long day. She had been pretty stressed for some time and couldn't quite wind down. She was scrolling through the news, mostly about the fires in California, and it was just adding to the stress. It was then that I came up with the first and third verse stanzas. The rest came piece by piece, influenced by the sociopolitical climate of the last year, and I finished it on the day of my High School Graduation. Overall, it has dawned on me how quickly time is going by and how important it is to me to mentally support my partner so that we can enjoy it.