Not A Student, Not Yet An Adult
Back at college, students have moved in, classes have started, football games have been won (and lost), and I’m sure many all night study sessions have already occurred. From the outside looking in, it’s the same as every other year.
Except there’s one thing: I’m not there.
No longer being a student has its good and bad moments. Can I just say how nice it is to not have homework or paper deadlines hanging over my head? It’s VERY nice. But sometimes I do miss college. I miss my roommate who now lives thousands of miles away. I miss constantly being surrounded by friends, many who have graduated and moved. I miss my professors. (I know, I’m weird.) I miss the familiarity of it all.
As much as I find myself thinking about my past college days, I find myself thinking about my future too. Honestly I often find myself wondering about what’s next for me. College? Check. First job? Check. But there are so many things that are unknown to me and so many things I want to do, including more school (yay).
It’s strange to define what part of life I’m in. Because I feel like I am an adult, but not completely. I have a job, yes, but I still live at home. My academic goals are not completely finished. It’s a bit like living in limbo. Where am I? I’m not a student, not yet an adult. (Right, Britney?)
Because of this, I find myself wishing for the future. What will my life be like in five years? 10 years? Will I have reached my goals? Where will I live? Will I be married? Will I have traveled to Europe yet (I hope this answer is yes)?
Most of the people I am surrounded by on a daily basis are settled into their adult lives: married, children, done with school and starting to build their careers. But I feel like I’m not there yet. I have graduated college, yes, but I still feel like there is more for me to do before I am settled.
But I know there will come a day where - just as I am missing being a college student - I will miss my limbo life. I’ll miss the days where I do not have to pay rent (thanks, Mom and Dad). I will miss the days when I can go to late night dance rehearsals. I will miss the days of taking spontaneous road trips with my friend to Dallas and back just to see a musical (because that actually happened). I will miss my job. I will miss the simplicity of just taking care of myself. And because of this, I must remind myself to be mindful of the moment. I must enjoy the present and what’s going on right now. As my good friend Andy Bernard from The Office said, “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.” The Good Old Days are now. So be present and enjoy it.
