From a Teen’s Perspective: A grateful goodbye

I knew this column had to come to an end. As I graduated high school and began a busy summer of work, travel, and college preparation, I stopped writing my weekly articles. And while I enjoyed the many other pursuits filling my time, I missed my column — and the people who have watched it grow beside me.

I often think about how this column began when I cold-called InMenlo’s editor-in-chief Linda Hubbard with a simple pitch: I wanted to explain what the world was like “From a Teen’s Perspective.” I can’t thank her enough for giving me that opportunity, because without it I wouldn’t be the writer or person I am today.

My column became more than I ever expected it to be. It was a diary — a written picture of my mind and identity over the past two years. It has held my hopes, fears, and all my thoughts and feelings about the world and coming of age in it.

It was a space of reflection and creation solely my own, nothing short of a miracle for a high school student looking for a means of expression and exploration. That freedom empowered me to look more closely both outside and within myself.

I assumed my contemplations didn’t mean much to anyone else until members of my community reached out about my articles. I met strangers who felt like friends because we both connected with what I had written. Organizations like The Reikes Center invited me to events that highlighted local talent and culture. The more I wrote about my community, the more I connected with it and discovered the often unknown wonders it has to offer.

The most difficult yet fulfilling aspect of this column was not the writing but the quest that drove it. Mindfulness, compassion, and persistent inquisitiveness fueled my purpose: to produce stories that honestly captured my life and my perspective in the hopes that someone else would understand themselves or others a little bit better.

You don’t need a column to strengthen clarity and connection. You just need to approach your experiences with intention; release constraints that control your outlook and invite curiosity and empathy to expand it.

I am endlessly grateful for everyone who’s read my column. You have taught me the power of our community and the potential of every voice. It’s easy to forget that opportunities lie everywhere around us — opportunities to strengthen connection, explore our passions, and deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other and the world.

As I begin the next chapter of my life, I will always remember the importance of keeping an open mind, an open heart, and of course, an open notebook to capture it all.

Thank you for everything, Dylan. P.S. Keep in touch with me at dylanclarklanier@gmail.com.

Dylan is attending Northwestern where he is studying journalism; photo of Dylan courtesy of M-A Chronicle