College life : another day, another adventure

Welcome to college! For some of you this first week is terrifying—I still shake my first day of a class. Some people are pros at this whole college thing, at least they pull off a confidant face better than I ever could. Whatever stage of life you are in (you may even be out of college), remember, it will not last forever.  

This summer I counseled at a summer camp—every week I got a new group of girls to look after, some more challenging than others. The short time frame changed my approach to friendship. I have a hard time talking in a friendship—I don’t want to share too much, what if this person only tolerates me or I secretly annoy them? At camp you don’t have the time or energy to build and maintain such walls. Besides, my campers didn’t have to like me, they would leave at the end of the week soon enough. I could only be myself and hope that was enough.  

Each week was different—new campers, different staff—no single day like another. Life is like that, always changing. No matter how stagnant the endless cycle of assignments and work may seem, these days will never come again. 

People move on, jobs change. What seems like an eternity is suddenly broken down to four summers, eight semesters, 128 weeks of school ticking by faster and faster. For me this is both encouraging and a little frightening. On one hand, my eight-week class from the pits of despair will only last eight weeks—I can survive that long. The longest trials had a beginning and will have an end. On the other hand, what if I waste the few semesters I have with friends before they graduate? We do not know the future, what if when I say goodbye this time, it really is goodbye? Therefore, I can’t waste time pretending to be cool because I am afraid of what people think.  

Each day can be a new adventure, twenty-four hours ready to be explored. As you go into the new semester, be ready for new experiences and friendships, don’t hide from life in your dorm room. Be yourself. How can your friends get to know you if you always wear a mask? Learn from past mistakes, consider the future, but fully live the present moment. Life will never be quite the same as it is right now.