As I sit here a little over midway through my first semester of college the feeling of nostalgia passes over me. It was only a matter of months ago; five months in two days actually that I looked over at my fellow classmates as we happily threw our caps into the air signaling the ending of a chapter of our lives.
Most of the time college, or more often than not just life in general keeps me too busy for quiet reflection, but on nights such as tonight when I find myself flipping through that album titled, "Senior Year" it blindsides me so suddenly I get swept away. It is hard to believe that almost five months have passes since that May night that was, in so many ways, the end of an era.
It's funny too because just a month or two ago I would have told you that I didn't miss it as much as I had assumed I would, but the more time that elapses the more my views change.
It is strange to have Friday nights free to do as I chose, rather than living with the knowledge that no matter what, every Friday during football season would be spent sitting on the cold, hard, bleachers of Corry Field watching a small, but mighty team leave it all on the gridiron.
Strange to not walk the grounds of a school I spent twelve years learning every inch of. Strange to not wake up every day with the knowledge that no matter what had occurred I would know every detail by the end of 1st period. Strange to not see the faces of people who over the years became more than friends; they became family.
As I embark on the beginning of a new era of my life as a Freshman at the school that I grew up dreaming about I can't help but reflect on the past year of my life, my senior year of high school and how it changed everything.
For me senior year was the accumulation of everything that high school should be. It was final. Absolute. Real. Everything was about to change so enjoy the time you have now. It was attending my first real high school party. It was learning to dance in the rain. It was kissing a cute guy at a football game and not really caring if everyone around me saw it. It was crazy bonfires and freezing nights spent joking and gazing at the stars with friends. It was amazing concerts and more crushes than people should be allowed to have. It was laughing, crying, joking, running, being afraid, and embracing the future. It was life. It was good and tragic and everything that being a senior should be. It was perfect in an imperfect sort of way.
Of course everyone knows that senior year would not be complete without those stories that you would be both embarrassed and excited to tell your children one day. The stories that inside jokes are made of. The kind of stories that you know you will still be joking about when you are eighty years old and chasing each other around with canes. And I am so glad that my friends and I racked up quite a few. They all started in October at the Florida State/Georgia Tech game.There were cute boys, ridiculous dancing, a Thriller reenactment, and 1 am Taco Bell run; it was in essence the beginning of it all. Then came Spring Break and hot tubs, baseball players, locals, and giant holes that were great for hiding, among other things. And of course who could forget Colorado and the Wiscaaansin boys that came along with it. Don't be too disappointed you didn't get the whole story on any of those, after all people call them inside jokes for a reason.
But looking back on my Senior Year of high school, whether it be five months later, like now, or ten years I know that what I will remember most isn't the parties we missed, the tests we failed, or the boys who were foolish enough to let us get away, but rather the people who I made the journey with along the way. The late nights that turned into early mornings. The laughter and the tears. The concerts, movies, and football games. The beach trips. But more than anything, I will remember the friends who turned into family. The people I love who definitely taught me that life isn't about the destination; but the JOURNEY it takes to get there.
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