Saying goodbye is never easy. There are boxes packed everywhere. Your room is becoming a shell of what it used to be. You’re trying to pick out pictures to bring your memories with you. People are crying. It’s just a time of mixed emotions for everyone. All summer you have been trying to balance the nostalgia that comes in unexpected waves and the excitement for what’s ahead.

June and July are easy. Having just graduated, you have two months to have fun and spend time with your friends. You’re excited about the future and aren’t at all fazed by summer’s expiration date. It’s all about staying out late and laughing with the people who have become your closest friends.

Then the beginning of August rolls around... Everything just got real. Rooming assignments, tuition payments, family vacations… with the end in sight, reality sets in. Instead of shopping for summer clothes with friends, you stockpile your dorm necessities in the living room. Making plans with friends for the weekend has been replaced with making plans to visit each other in college. It’s a lot all at once, and the emotions come on strong. Crying becomes a weird thing that happens out of no where. Like, even your old stuffed bear makes you emotional.

The weeks fly by and then you’re days before move-in, and the “lasts” hit you even harder than before. The last time you’ll be hanging out with your friends. The last time you are going to sleep in your own bed. The last time you are going to have a good meal that doesn’t make you run to the bathroom. The things you used to take for granted you now wish you appreciated more over the past year. That’s always the way; you don’t miss things until they’re gone. Life has quickly become a whirlwind of hugs, tears, stories, laughs, and goodbyes.

During the final days at home, you realize who and what really matters to you. The people you want to see will see you and the other people you thought were your “friends” will quickly become a thing of the past. You’re leaving the toxic people behind, and they’ll be replaced by people who care about you and would never think to hurt you.

For some, leaving means freedom and new beginnings; forget the past and move on. For others, it’s terrifying and overwhelming; the unknown is scary. There’s no right way to feel because no matter what, everyone needs to adjust to a new environment. Packing your life into the back of the car really seals the deal that you’re actually moving on. If you think this is hard on you, just look at your family. They are not ok at all, but they will be, and so will you. From the wise words of JK Rowling, “[Life] opens at the close.”