Graduation Goggles: “The relief and nostalgic feeling one has about a time in their life when it is about to end, even if the time was completely miserable.”- Urban Dictionary

I know you guys think you’re miserable now, and maybe you are, but you’re going to miss this moment once it’s gone. I know you’ve heard that time and time again since you started high school, what seems like a decade ago. But here’s the thing, you aren’t going to fully understand it until you’re in college and far beyond.

The days are long but the weeks go by so fast. Before you know it, you’re in your third year of college BEGGING to go back, if for nothing else than to not have five tests, three papers, six homework assignments, and to sleep in a bed not paid for on your own dime. Remember finals week junior year, when you were so stressed you cried? That’s equivalent to a syllabus week in college.

I get it. I was in your shoes. I know I sound like your parents, but if you listen to nothing else, listen to this: you are never going to see 97% of the people you’ve spent every single day of the last four years with. If that makes you happy, you’re just like everyone around you. But, you have to remember that for every person you can’t wait to never see again, there’s probably another person who doesn’t want to see you again either. I’m sure you’re a great kid, and you are still a kid by-the-way, but the harsh reality of life post high school is that your friendships will fade and most will end. That’s not to say that every friend you have now will hate you in a year or two, but as we get older, we grow into who we’re are going to be for the rest of our lives. When people grow up, they grow apart. That’s how all of life works.

That being said, the nostalgia you’ve been feeling as you experience some things for the last time doesn’t mean you have to forget all of the good things you have waiting for you outside of those halls. You’re life is as simple and stress free as it will ever be, don’t waste that time.

College is hard; shocking I know. You are going to have to do a lot of work, study harder than you’ve ever studied in your life, and accept an overwhelming amount of failure. You are also going to spend a lot of time with your best friends everyday, take really interesting and relevant classes, and have the best time of your life.

These next few weeks are going to be a mess of emotions, embrace them. Tell your friends how much you’re going to miss them, take a picture with your favorite teacher, say thank you to your parents, and talk to your long-term crush. The time you have left is so minuscule in comparison to the time you’ve spent there, so be nice to everyone, don’t do anything stupid that could jeopardize your future, and do your last bit of work. Basically, be your best self. You’re not going to be in that place with all of those people again; leave a good legacy. It will be how you’re remembered.

And those graduation goggles, they’re not goggles at all. You’re looking at your life through the eyes of your future self. Let yourself see the things you’ll miss. You’ll thank yourself later.