I have 22 days. I will be an alum from school and an alum from my sorority. While it is less than a month out, it still feels likes years away. But it is not. I cannot put into words how strange it feels to imagine how this point next month I will not be planning my next semester of college. Instead, I will be working and saving money to move out west where I will start my “big girl job.”
While all of this freaks me out a little and kind of makes me want not want to leave my bed, I have decided to live my final month of college the best I can.
I think a lot of us take college for granted. During our free time, we would rather sleep or watch Netflix. I know I do. We spend so much of our time obsessing over succeeding and while that is important, we forget to spend time with friends and enjoy what we can.
Enjoying yourself does not have to be grand events. It could be getting ice cream with a friend or running in the nature preserve. It is about enjoying the time you have with people you care about, including yourself.
With less than a month left, I am looking back and realizing how much I missed because I really did not feel like making the time for it. Maybe it was making up an excuse to not hang out or missing something fun on campus because I did not feel like leaving my Netflix show. Now here we are, less than a month away and trying to make the most of our remaining time here on campus. Some of us will stick around but some of us will not. This the end of the only thing we have ever known: school. In 22 days I will be in the real world. I will not have to study for an exam again or work on a school project. I will not spend late nights at Willy T. or panicking about a group member not contributing.
It will be over.
While this is sad, do not get me wrong, it also made me realize that I am allowed to enjoy my last days of school. It is about making the most memories that I can because some of these people I may not see again. It is time to laugh and take pictures. It is time to get out of my comfort zone and do something new. It is time to spend as much time as I can with my friends. It is time to enjoy this life I have come to live every day.
We do not realize that our lives are about to change. We are about to be thrown into a world where no one is there to guide you or hold your hand. Some of us will be moving across the country without our families and completely only. It is scary and it is hard.
But that is something we do not have to worry about now. We can worry about it in 22 days. We are not graduating today or tomorrow or next week. So seniors, enjoy it. Enjoy going to class with the professor you love. Enjoy the late nights with your friends at the library. Enjoy the late night Mad Mush sticks after a night at the bars. Enjoy the people you surround yourself with.
In 22 days, this all will change. But that is not today. So enjoy it.