This week, as I continued my doomscroll towards the end of the Instagram explore page, an ad popped up that actually caught my attention. A pair of Vans loafers. A strange mix of my past and present self, all in one shoe.
If you have known me for a while, you’d know I used to have an obsession with vans. From ages 11 to 15, I had practically every color and style of Vans shoes. I had a very particular personal style at this point in my life. For bottoms, I would rock jeans, awkwardly long cotton shorts, or a time-accurate pleated skirt. To accompany these perfect outfit components, I would choose between a graphic tee, one of my dad’s collared shirts, or the revered sweater vest. None of these things had to match either. If I liked it I would wear it. Doesn’t matter what.
When I was younger, I didn’t really care what people thought of me, if you couldn’t already tell from the outfit choices. I would be loud and obnoxious without a care in the world. I used my hair and fashion choices to express myself. It’s like there was an innate sense of knowing myself that sometimes feels like it’s been dimmed.
Going To College Is Supposed To Be About Finding Yourself
I always viewed college as a point in your life where you try any and everything. I’ve tried sorority life, tested the waters of student government, and have learned to really love writing for Her Campus. But sometimes there’s a downside; with so many new experiences at once, it can be easy to feel lost in the options. What door do you walk through if they are all open?
Spending The Week Channeling Her
This week, I decided to forget about walking through new doors and turn around and look back on some old ones. I channeled every version of myself this week.
I am a hobby warrior. Every couple of months, I pick up a new thing to learn. So naturally, I’ve had a lot of phases to go through.
Biking
On my latest episode of impulse purchases, I bought a bike. Biking around with the neighborhood kids was one of my favorite things. It is how I made my first few friends when I moved to my hometown.
At first, I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want to look silly, and I really didn’t want to mess up the whole bike lane thing. I’m from a town of 7 thousand; we don’t have bike lanes. I’ve gone on a couple of rides around my block, and I can now say I am a certified bike lane user. Once I let go of the fear of looking silly, I had so much fun.
Skate 3
In my late middle school to early high school years, I was absolutely obsessed with the video game Skate 3. It is a skateboarding game played in third-person, and the object is to sell your boards by completing tricks and challenges. In my prime years, I beat the game on mine and my best friend Ryan’s Xbox all in one summer.
Electronic Arts came out with a newer version of the game called Skate in September 2025. I was a little hesitant to play because of my love for the previous game. I was worried that I would be disappointed. Six months later, I decided it was enough of that. And let me tell you, the game is great. It takes some of the best elements of the 2010 Skate 3 game and meshes them with elements of more recent games like Fortnite, all with a homescreen akin to Grand Theft Auto 5. This game is the epitome of peak; it will definitely become a top-tier hobby of mine.
Tennis
One of my favorite things to do in more recent years has been to play tennis with friends. My friend Tanner taught me how to really play (with rules and all of that) last summer. Before that, it was mostly just hitting the ball and having fun. I don’t usually see my friends I like to play with during the semester, so it is usually far and few between that I get out on the courts. Recently, I met two more tennis fans!
This week I went with my lovely roommate and some friends, and she introduced me to some courts here in San Marcos. I haven’t played in nearly six months, so I was just a step above terrible. Even though I’m not that good, I had a ton of fun. I was able to play a game and chat with new people.
Fishing
One of my oldest friends, Toby, loves to fish. We used to go out to a creek or pond on our free days in the summer before college. I have an astoundingly bad track record of not catching a fish. I hold a lifetime total of somewhere around 10. I am 19 years old, that’s not even one a year. Recently, Toby came to visit lovely little San Mo and wanted to go fishing. We went out on the river, played some music, and fished. In Grace fashion, I didn’t catch anything. But life’s about the journey anyway. By that, I really mean I don’t want to touch a fish, and I mostly just like casting.
It’s really a win-win.
Music
To accompany all of these blasts from the past, it was only in order to go listen to some of my old playlists. I currently use Spotify (thanks to Ryan and Toby’s parents), but that wasn’t always the case. My Apple Music account has been sitting untouched for nearly 4 years now, with everything still downloaded. I booted up my favorite songs from my era and got transported. Blonde by Frank Ocean will always be amazing, but it’s even better when you realize how different you connect with the album by adding a couple of years to your life.
What I learned
Sometimes it can be easy to overlook the accomplishments we have made, but look back to your younger self, and she will show you that you are doing great. I really enjoyed doing things I used to do. It reintroduced me to a lot of activities and hobbies. Maybe in a couple of years, the things I do now will become old hobbies as well, but that just gives future Grace an opportunity to do this all over again. While it’s always important to keep moving forward, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and look at how far you’ve come.