Kenny Chesney was right when he sang, "Don't blink. Life goes faster than you think."
Oh boy, ain't that the truth. Four years at the College of Charleston has come and gone and it feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm room and getting lost on my way to the dining hall.
Four years, a couple tattoos, a hundred more friends, and even more classes later, I am just four weeks away from walking across that Cistern. Four weeks. The place where I stood as a freshman, excited for the years to come. Now, it's all happening.
It is insane to think about the time I have spent here. All the work I have put in at the library. All the sporting events I have attended. All the classes I have half-paid attention during.
Starting college, I was eager. Eagar to see where I would fit in Charleson and even more eager to be on my own.
In the past four years, I have failed a lot. But, for every time I was knocked down, I got up twice as strong. I learned independence. I saw every given opportunity as a chance to grow and change. This is the kind of stuff that has made me who I am today. And for this, I am forever grateful.
There are no words to describe the love I have for this place. College of Charleston will always have my heart. I appreciate this journey more than anything. Not many people get the chance to caption their Instagrams with, "I live where you vacation." Right? Exactly.
To those of you with a few years left or even a few weeks; take it all in. No matter how "done" you are with your biology class, or your group project, or your fifteen-page essay, you are going to miss this.
It's not every day you get to live with your best friends, in a house decorated with tapestries from Urban Outfitters. Or walk around the United State's No.1 city, according to Travel + Leisure, just to get to class.
College is the place where you get to find yourself. You learn your stance on things in life and you begin to stick with those opinions. This is so important.
College is the journey of a lifetime. When you start, you say "I have four years here, that is plenty of time for me." Well, I am here to tell you that one-second you're sleeping comfortably in your twin dorm bed and the next you're filling out real-people job applications while simultaneously searching the internet for a graduation dress.
Really, don't blink. Four years will go by way faster than you think.
Although I may be flaunting that diploma very soon, I will always love Chucktown. Once a Cougar, always a Cougar. (We have High School Musical to thank for that quote right there.)