Don’t let worrying about the future ruin your time in the present
It was a regular day. My roommates and I were sitting in our living room in the house we’ve shared together for over two years, catching up on how our days were and what we had planned for the rest of the night. We’d talk through our assignments and tell each other how much we’ve done so far and what needed to be done, knowing that we’ve barely done anything, but finding comfort in verbally convincing each other of how hard we’ve been working.
This time around though, something weird happened. Someone brought up the forbidden topic, something that we’ve been collectively avoiding since the beginning of last semester – moving out.
“How are we going to empty this house out?” said one of us. Then cued the anxiety, and the reality that we’d eventually have to leave each other and the house we’ve called home for the past two years. Our eyes stung as we made the realization.
From what I’ve experienced so far, I feel like the last month or so of school until graduation is a gigantic blur of assignments, stress, anxiety, sadness, happiness, nostalgia, and immense pressure. For many, especially those that are not moving on to more schooling, there’s the fear of the unknown – the fear of not knowing what the next step is, and not knowing exactly where to start. For many, there’s the fear of not knowing what you want to do with your life, and the fear of falling into a routine that might prevent you from accomplishing the goals you once had.
…we’ve shared laughs, we’ve cried, we’ve picked each other back up multiple times.
More or less, our brains in this final stretch are filled with these kinds of thoughts – thoughts about what the future might hold, but not about what the present holds for us right now.
Thoughts that might also prevent us from making the most of our final month in this beautiful city – as students at the University of Guelph.
Think about the friends you’ve made and the people that you’ve shared a roof with over these past few years (unless you don’t like your roommates, than forget everything I just said). It’s something that most of us have probably avoided simply to avoid the sadness that comes with it. My roommates and I have been through a lot together – we’ve shared laughs, we’ve cried, we’ve picked each other back up multiple times. It’s going to be weird not having them to talk to when I get home from a long day. It’ll be weird not being able to sit together in one of our rooms and listen to old Avril Lavigne songs and laugh about our high school selves that we never knew.
That being said, my advice is to try to live in the moment over these next few weeks. University came way too quickly – some of us were only 17 coming into it – but it also ended too quickly. Cherish every moment you have left. Smile at that final paper that you spent endless nights pining over, because that’ll probably be the least frightening thing you’ll have to deal with in life. Appreciate the time you have left with your friends – make the most of it. Tell people how much they’ve impacted you, especially if you may not see each other again. Take a slow walk through campus and breath in the Guelph air. Smile, because you’re still here and you still have time to enjoy it.