Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 1984, Page 148

Description:	~—mReach potential or forget to attempt?Not too long ago, I was going throughthe school trash, looking for a lost wallet,of all things.Needless to say, I didnt find my billfoldthere; but I remember a lot about itanyway. It was one of those typical kindsof trash cans filled to the brim with anassortment of estimated progressreports, homework assignments, andday-old cafeteria delectibles.Deep down I knew there was really noway my wallet could have wound upthere. Everything else had, though. Youwouldnt believe the number of old notes Ifound.In fact, I would even venture to say thatmuch of those very remains symbolizessome of our most valuable resources. Imnot talking about the strange testanswers anymore or even the unusualways that were used to pass time. Imtalking about those times when it wasnear the end of the day when all we feltlike doing was just taking everything andtossing it all away.It was that annual ritual when wewanted out. We were tired and distressed, and the only thing we could thinkabout was putting an end to it all.For some, unfortunately, it wasnt thathard. Some of us took school about asseriously as a Mickey Mouse t-shirt andslid through, while the rest of us tried toavoid that temptation. But who did whator who fit where doesnt really matter.The point is that some of what all of usdid or didnt do was a real waste.When it came down to making theacademic grade or avoiding the athleticcut, some of us were good; but many ofus werent. Whether we were successful,though, is really immaterial unless youlook for the reasons.So for whatever its worth, after I hadbeen rummaging around in that trash canfor a wallet, I couldnt help but remembertimes when I had fallen on the short sideof the stick; and I couldnt forget what itfelt like to fail. I didnt reflect upon it withregrets, however, because I knew theproblem was not irreversible since youwill never be faulted for the effort made.Whats unfortunate is simply when weforget to even attempt.So as we look toward the future, I hopewe will not be willing to surrender ourideals, because whatever course youtake, the goal—to reach your potential—should be the same.After all, in the end its simply a question of the attitudes you would rathertake.. . . Its a matter of whether you wantto reach your greatest potential or forgetto even attempt . . . and throw your lifeaway.Dawn FarisArt by Rob HarrellTracy WhiteTerri WikleRegina WilliamsonKevin WillseyMisha WilsonDarlene WineingerLarry WineingerMatthew WisenSteve WrightLisa YorkCara Zogorski148 Seniors
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/1865
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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