“Nothing lasts forever.” This quote really changed who I was and everything I do in my life. Although this quote is short and simple, it is difficult to comprehend and I didn’t just read it one day and instantly understand it and live through it. I learned from multiple occasions of what it means and how I could make the best of a moment. Through people and through events, the quote really prepared me for almost everything in my life.

When I was 8, I didn’t realized that as I grew up you and everything around you would change. I thought everything would be safe and unchanging until I grew tired of it. My childhood friend (Who is referred to as Anon for anonymity purposes) was in a tricky place when it came to elementary school. I was still young at that time so the whole concept of divorce and parents hating each other seemed like something from a twisted fairytale book. Anon tried his best to explain it to me, even him not understanding what it fully meant when the time came for him.

After what Anon went through, I started to see him less and less because everything he had to do had to be planned out in a week advance since he switched from his father’s and mother’s house frequently. As he began to adjust to the new changes, I became more aware of what was going on and was learning what was happening. Eventually his mother got a job in South Carolina, which was pretty heartbreaking for 10 year old me because I got to see him maybe twice a year if I was lucky. Once he finished elementary school, he was off and away to South Carolina, occasionally coming back to our area to be with his father for a while. From then on, I was a little in touch with Anon but not completely. I could only call him on my family’s phone, and most of the time he was overloaded with work from his new school and moving his stuff into South Carolina. I eventually moved on from our friendship as he grew more distant, but occasionally I called and we share updates in our lives with each other.

3 years after Anon’s big move, I was 13 and it was a casual Sunday and my dad decided to go for a quick run to Dunkin for some celebratory breakfast for the soccer game we won that day. When he got home he had a huge grin on his face, seeming bit over joyed from getting donuts for breakfast. He then tried to interpret the crazy instance that happened at Dunkin.

“You wouldn’t guess who I saw at Dunkin just a few minutes ago.” Dad stated, bluntly and without giving me any hints.
“Taylor Swift? Jay Cutler? A celebrity?” I said, confused at the sudden question.
“Even better, I saw your friend Anon getting breakfast with his father their.”
I must’ve looked dumbfounded, yet sad because he responded quickly after.
“I struck a conversation with them because I recognized Anon from when I picked you up from school sometimes. He gave me his new cell phone number and said that he should come over sometime or you could go over to their place.”

At this point I was overjoyed and was pondering what we would do and why he was at the Dunkin Donuts close to us when he lived a far distance away in an apartment when he was with his father.

I talked it over with him and we hung out for almost a week straight, alternating places from where we slept over; my house then his apartment. We did games regular teenage boys did, nothing too out of the ordinary but I remember it like it was just yesterday. I really did treasure all the little conversations and the all-nighters we pulled just to play some video game that I’ve since outgrown.

I was anticipating to start planning for what we would do next time he came to our town because in a week he had to go back to South Carolina with his mother. Then before I even realized it, I was inside and having fun, playing videogames with him. For the last time.

I was walking back out of their car to their apartment on a Saturday, and was talking with Anon.
“So do you have sleepovers and almost everything we’re doing like this in South Carolina?” I asked, not really aiming the conversation to go anywhere in particular.
“Not really no because school always gets in the way but in the summer like this, I could have friends over. I actually just had Eli over a couple days ago, we had a lot of fun.”

I remembered who Eli was, he was part of the elementary school group of friends we had, and I also did baseball with him. I hadn’t seen him since then, and I tried to picture what he looked like in my head. Then Anon’s father spoke up, abruptly interrupting my imagination and pulling me back into reality.

“Anon has been hanging out with his Eli for back to back sleepover lately, I can’t imagine how tired he is but I let him do all these sleepovers now because this would be the last time he would hang out in this town. I’m thinking of moving to Vegas in the next week or two, that’s when summer ends and school starts anyway.”

That was when I stood on the sidewalk like a statue. Time was frozen, and I was obeying; I stuck still on the sidewalk for nearly a minute. I wasn’t cracking any jokes or making conversation anymore. I promised myself that I’d have the most memorable time I could have with him since this would be the last time that fate would let us cross paths. We played video games and watched movies all night; played trivia games and anything we could to just have a fun time. We had so much fun that night, with a bowl of cheesy popcorn to watch movies way past our age at the time.

Eventually it did end, and that was when I knew and finally understood that time should be treasured because nothing lasts forever. It really did impact my life and now whenever I’m faced with opportunities and events I’ll probably never be able to have again in my life, I always believe that nothing can last forever and I really do try my best to make the most of it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t but I’m still glad I tried it all, because it builds my character and identity. Remember to always make the most of a moment.