Suzie was a middle school husky that had a close group of friends, but never tried anything new. Throughout her years in middle school she would ask herself,

Should I join this club or sport?… I better not, I don’t know anyone there.

Her year went on like this, but things changed when she became a high schooler. Her activities and fun consisted of scrolling through her phone and occasionally she would communicate with some of her friends over homework, but nothing more. Her friends were joining different activities and they were becoming less available after school; Suzie was the only one that felt she had no other stresses or responsibilities. However, doing nothing made Suzie feel bored and lethargic, she did not look forward to anything at school and her friends were making new friends too. Although she still kept contact with her friends as always, she never connected with any of their activities. She spent a few months thinking about everything she usually did and decided she could do more.

I´m not very interested in most of the sports my friends do, but I suppose I have pretty good endurance?… Maybe I can try out for track.

For the next week Suzie inquired about the track team and was finally able to change her schedule. Her school experiences changed in that single decision. At first, Suzie struggled changing her routine in the afternoons, but eventually she adapted and even became more disciplined and organized. Still, her greatest accomplishment was making friends with her teammates and winning a participation trophy together. Suzie still talked with all her other friends from before and they even had more to talk about as they now enjoyed sharing about their different activities. Suzie spent the next three years of her High School career in track, and she even took part in NAMI, the National Association of Mental Illness.

20 years later…

Suzie now works as a teacher at Hughson High School, and despite not making the greatest accomplishments during her track career, she gained some of her best memories and friendships. She had no regrets.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”—Mark Twain