Well, we've reached that time of year once more. Pencils are being snatched up by the bundle and tape rolls are flying off the shelves. It's move in time for us college students and back-to-school for the rest of the grades beneath us. It's a time of year that has everyone up in a whirlwind, whether you're the one helping your kid move back to school or are just selling the supplies. Commercials were run rampant on the television screens and ads will be printed. But this is such an important time of year because it is when many of us are leaving home for the first time (not me, being a senior in college) and we first experience an odd sensation in our chest.

Moving into your dorm or apartment or new house can be exciting and thrilling. It is the start of a new chapter in your life and a gigantic leap of faith. There are so many new sensations to take in. Smells, sights, sounds. It's like an overwhelming wave that is dragging you down into the dark depths, surrounding you with something new every other second. But it's incredible. It's like an incredible new world that you suddenly get to experience. I won't lie, I miss the feeling I first got upon moving in. The excitement I had for everything new that was coming. It's like the light side of moving into your own place. It's an exuberating sensation that you cannot hep but smile when you experience.

But then there's the darker side to the light. A weight to the uplifting sensation. It is realizing that you no longer can live at home and can be heartbreaking for some. Realizing that you are suddenly being put on your own and are expected to provide for yourself is a whirlwind. It's like a tether has been cut and suddenly you're falling into an abyss. You might felt sick, shaky, alone, want to cry. It's like the world is pretty much ending. Your mother will probably cry and dad will give a jerky hug and a kiss on the head. And, yes, that sick feeling will make it all the worse. Plus there's that girl across the hall who is already staking her claim in the cute guy and giving you the evil eye. It seems like hell.

Despite the odd sensation of good and bad, dark and light, exciting and scary, you still move in. You still take that big leap of faith. You still push yourself out of your comfort zone and take the plunge. And soon that feeling will settle down. Soon you will be so wrapped up in classes and social activities and everything else that you'll forget all about that sensation.

That is, until you have to move out.