In my opinion, finals season is more than just trying to cram four months worth of material into a three-hour study session or saying goodbye to either really brilliant classes or boring gen-eds. It is quite literally the “end of an era.” And that’s the beautiful thing about college: you are continuously in a state of reinvention and self-renewal. But it’s also kind of sad. Maybe because I’m the type of person who cries on their birthdays and New Years, but moving and goodbyes and being away from places and friends is sad.
If I didn’t have my mom here during move out, I would be a mess without a clue of how to do anything. Seeing her after each school year reminds me that stress (especially of the academic variety) is temporary. She is my constant in a world that seems to be changing every nanosecond. So when that “oh wow, time is moving so fast what am I doing with my life blah blah” panic sets in, I can just turn to her to calm me down. Like every other transitional time in my life, she has been there at the end to walk me through my next move. Our times post-spring semester are like the quintessential mother-daughter holiday images: we gossip, see some sights, eat yummy food, and just enjoy being with each other. I love walking around the city with her because I can see her college experience emerging into conversations with nostalgia. She was in the same place during the same time period, going through the same issues, taking in the same experience. I get chills thinking how much I really am like her kindred soul.
From one familiar place, we go to a new adventure. We’re good at trips together because we hate wasting time in hotels: we will walk around for hours until we’re too exhausted to go on. I think New York is our perfect place because it is always full of energy or activities. Last year, we spent so much time trying to figure out the grid system without the omniscient Google (still learning to do so). I get to see my mom do her thing in meetings and company events (which is a whole part of our mini trip). Plus, the city is just overflowing with culture that’s just tempting us to take part in. While exploring with my mom is super fun, the best part of our time together is going home. In college, you do a lot of things for yourself and by yourself. While I love traveling alone, there is a true comfort in being with my mom on the way to summer. It really does feel like, for a while, the whole adulting thing is put on pause. Going home with her, I feel like a child in the best way: it’s the gift of endless love and the best reset button on life after a year of going and going.
Mom, if you’re reading this (which you probably are), I just want to thank you for getting me through life. You show me that in life, you work hard for rewards and that there are things in this world that will stay with you forever, like our super cute connection. I hope you’ll always be there to pick me up, figuratively at least, when I feel like I’m slipping. I love you most.
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