It is second semester of my junior year and the fact that I have about a year and a half left at this place is extremely terrifying and exciting all wrapped into one, big, shaky feeling. I can’t help but notice that a lot of my friends are in the same boat and feel like that too, but a couple other consistencies seem to stand out in a bit of an alarming manner.
I don’t think I can count on my fingers AND toes how many times this year I’ve heard “I just want to go back to freshman year.” I’ve said it myself too. It seemed almost too simple that year. I had hardly anything to be upset about. A new chapter was starting in my life and everything was exciting and new. So of course we want to go back.
The other redundancy… “I can’t wait to get out of here,” or “I need something new to happen to me NOW.” We see our friends who are 2-ish years older than us, have jobs, live on their own, and (here comes the tragedy of the single woman) are happily in love, with serious potential of getting engaged any day now. Ugh, how incredibly perfect those people have it, right? I bet if you asked those lucky ones, they would beg to differ.
College is supposed to be “the best years of our lives.” So why does everyone seem to be dwelling on the past and/or wanting the future to just be here now?
One of the senior captains on my dance team told me my freshman year that college goes too fast. And I get that now! For some reason, her New Year’s resolution from that year stuck with me since. It was to stop wishing away her minutes. It was something so simple, yet so meaningful, and a resolution that actually could be accomplished. So, I made it mine this year!
My fellow collegiettes: Reminisce on unforgettable moments from freshman year, and laugh about them. A lot. Plan for the up-and-coming time we are all so looking forward to. But most importantly, stop wishing for Friday, or next month, or whatever future time you want it to be. Hold these days with the utmost potential in each one. These ARE the best days of our lives…so far.