As the clock ticks down to the beginning of our fourth Formal Recruitment as active sisters, my two remaining pledge sisters and I have noticed a few things about what it means to be the oldest members of a chapter during recruitment and spirit or work week and I have a feeling there are other old timers out there who can relate and will concur with this assesment.

1. You can predict with fair accuracy what the Recruitment Chair is going to say next when she is giving a speech.
2. You have had a strong urge to slap younger sisters who won't stop talking during practice.
3. You have threatened to put Vaseline on a sister's teeth for not smiling.
4. You don't remember how to chant without smiling and clapping.
5. You got an eye twitch and felt steam come out your ears when a younger sister with no Recruitment authority had the audacity to "correct" you on something her second time recruiting.
6. You then laughed at the ridiculousness of some one you recruited correcting your recruiting, and didn't change a thing.
7. You literally were on the verge of tears when you looked at your first composite and realized how few of your pledge sisters are still actives.
8. You are the only person in your bump group who has recruited before.
9. You keep assuring younger sisters that after the first party, it will all make sense.
10. You take a perverse pleasure in being a difficult PNM during mock recruiting.
11. You learned the formations in about 5 seconds.
12. You can't figure out why the younger girls keep talking about how hot or how late it is, it's not going to get you home any faster.
13. You and your pledge sisters gave up on mock conversations like two rounds into practice.
14. You and your pledge sisters are the only ones who could get away with goofing off as much as you do.
15. You can't figure out whether you are relieved or panicked at the thought of not being able to recruit next year.
16. You freaked out internally when a chant was changed from how you learned it.
17. You make references about past recruitments and no one but your pledge sisters understand.
18. You keep reminding younger sisters that Bid Day makes all the stress and lack of sleep 197% worth it.
19. You were in one or more of the example pictures for recruitment attire.
20. You can paraphrase the point the Recruitment Chair was getting at for the past 10 minutes, even though you were in the back lamenting with your pledge sisters about how old you are.
21. You had a mental breakdown when you realize the freshmen going through were in the 8th grade when you graduated high school.
22. You savor every moment, even the ones where your feet feel like they will fall off and your hands are almost bleeding because you know you'll never get this again.
23. You take a moment to look around the room and realize that even though your days as an active are drawing to a close, your chapter is in good hands because you gave it your all each and every recruitment and brought amazing women into your sisterhood. And that makes you smile.