BLISTEX medicated

So, I literally just walked out of my last undergraduate class...ever!

Although the feeling is great, it leaves somewhat of bittersweet feeling in the air. I drove my friend Megan and I home in her car, because she both sucks at driving and just plain hates it. As I was driving past all the university buildings on our way home, I was getting flashes of all the classes I've been in for the last four years. I was getting flashes of all the group projects I had been a part of. I was getting flashes of all the people who had touched my life.

I'm not one to get too emotional these days, it just doesn't fit into my schedule. But, let me tell you: it is the most painfully amazing feeling I have ever experienced. Have you ever been to a casino, waited for a machine and some old lady leaves? You jump to her machine, and BAM! You win a jackpot. It's that kind of a feeling.

After high school, so many things instantly became clear as to where they should lie on my life's priority list. Right away, family was at the top of my list. My friends became second, and I took a back seat. I learned so many times the power of family and friends. I would make millions of mistakes and they would always be right there to help me. I took them for granted, and it hurts to think I treated them so poorly for the last four years, but I tried. And, I hope it showed. Because at the end of the day, the clothes I'm wearing don't matter. The way I look doesn't matter. The topics I choose to educate myself on and become wise on don't matter. Friends and family are the most important thing I have. And that's all that matters.

One of my favorite movies, Into the Wild, is about a recent college grad who sells everything and runs away to Alaska to find answers to life. The one thing he came away with that trip knowing is that true happiness is only best experienced when it's shared, and shared by the people whom you love.

As Megan and I finally left the long drive out of campus, I realized, yes! I built a life here, I defined so much of my identity here, and I even charted uneasy territory-my self, and the discovery that go along with it. That's okay though, I had a great time here. And I will eventually have my great cry over it all, but I've got my family and my friends. Although, those memories serve as a reminder of where I've been and what I can do, it remains but a chapter in the life.

It reminded me that I am soooo ready for the next chapter. My internship in California, the Peace Corps, and all the work I have to do to get into Columbia!

Aloha