I've Learned

I'm sitting, here, waiting for my last class of 2014 and of my first college semester.  I actually did it.  I survived my first semester of college, and I'm even happier to modestly say that I've thrived.

It's so disheartening to me to realize I only have a semester left of this time.  Living where I do, with the people I do, with the friends I have, everything is so depressingly temporary.  It is going to be for just one year, and now it's going to be just for one semester more.

I was talking with two friends from high school last night, and we talked about how much I had changed.  I am so much happier.  I am more relaxed.  People just don't know my accomplishments, but they actually know me.  They know me.  They don't have to know any of that other stuff.  The things I've accomplished are irrelevant.  My reputation is nonexistent since no one really knows me.  I don't have to be managed and ruled by the things I choose to let into my life.  I don't have to be anyway, and that is so darn refreshing.

I have learned that cookies can be made at any time of night or day.  I have learned that showering in the morning means your hair is going to be a lot easier to fix.  I have learned that high-heeled ankle booties usually kill by the end of the two mile walk to and from class, but they are worth it.  I've learned that sometimes sleep is worth the sacrifice if you get to stay up late having beautiful conversations or hysterical laughing fits.  I've learned you really don't need everything to live as you once thought you did.  I've learned that you should remember to show up and complete the things you said you would because you are building a little baby reputation.  I've learned that ice cream runs are so much fun.  I've learned that having a best friend is better than expected.  I've learned that college unites people in an unexpected way and that some friendships are just meant to be.  I've learned to ignore the dishes in the sink,  and I've learned to put my clothes in the hamper.  I've learned that sometimes you have to think about what is best for others before you can think about what you would rather be doing.  I've learned that campus is a lot smaller than you originally thought, and eventually there will be people and places that are so familiar you can't remember not knowing.  I've learned that grocery shopping is a lot of fun but bringing groceries into the house is one of the biggest pains that I have ever had to deal with.  I've learned phone calls can save you and text messages can revive you.  I've learned it's ok to miss your old life, and it's ok to be happy that you are missed in your old life.  I've learned that I need to work more on being kinder than necessary.  I've learned that sleep is as hard to get as people say it is.  I've learned that having the basketball court outside my window can be one of the most infuriating things about my life, but also something that makes us all feel connected.

xo. Elise