What is life? According to Google, life is the existence of an individual human being or animal. But life cannot be described in one sentence, and it took me all 9 months of freshman year to realize that. Life is the ups and downs, the heartbreaks and celebrations, the A you got on a paper you worked hard on, and the D you got on a test because well...you didn’t want to study. Life happens when you exist without hesitation, and when you decide to exist without hesitation, you live.

Freshman year taught me that things don’t always go as planned, and that is ok. Guilty is charged when it comes to “planning” how your life is "supposed" to go. One day I’m 15 knowing exactly what college I will be attending, what career I will have, who I will marry, and my kid’s names. Then I began my freshman year. Now I’m 19, at a college I never planned to go to, with a major completely different from what I thought, no idea who I will marry and second guessing the names I thought up (maybe I’ll just go with Apple or something creative?). But, that’s the beauty of life, and had it not been for freshman year, I would still be trying to plan my life 10 years from now.

Freshman year taught me that life is going to happen, and that is ok. So what if you wake up at 1 a.m. crying because you miss your dog. Or just really miss your best friend after a long night out and can’t help but have a dramatic breakdown. Life brings all these events and emotions into your path to create the person you are. Now that these 9 months of freshman year are over I love harder, appreciate the little things, and never forget that we aren’t promised every day. So why stress over things you can’t control? Life is learning that these experiences and trials we are put through are happening for a reason. Cliché, I know, that’s what I told myself too but when I finally accepted that I don’t have the control I started to truly enjoy life. I let go of my worries about whether I was on the right path and accepted that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Life has gotten me this far so why not continue on this path. There was something so refreshing about accepting that.

Freshman year taught me that life doesn’t have space for everyone and you will lose touch with friends, and that’s ok. I went into freshman year thinking there’s no way I’m going to lose touch with my friends from high school, but here I am only keeping in touch with about 10 people from my high school. And that’s ok. Life doesn’t have room for every single person you’ve met to stay forever but the people that stay around are important. Life has given me all kinds of people; some are there for me when I’m crying over my dog at 1 am, and some are simply here to teach me a lesson. Life has provided me with relationships that have made me a better person. There’s my best friend who has shown me love even when I don’t deserve it or the girl down the hall who might not remember my name but taught me not to judge a book by its cover. Life has surrounded me with people who constantly encourage me, and I strive to be more like the people I’m surrounded by every day (and they’re great). Freshman year has taught me that life means people come and go, but everyone has a purpose in shaping the person you are becoming during your first months of independence.

So, to all those seniors who are about to graduate high school; accept life. Accept that the first day in your dorm will not be full of screaming girls all becoming best friends in seconds. Accept that you will miss home, and you will lose people, but it’s all happening for a reason. Accept that you will get a C on a paper, but it’s not the end of the world. Accept that you will be changing; mentally, physically, and emotionally, but these changes are all a part of life’s plan, and you are just along for the ride.