Summer is over and school's back in session. At the end of last year, I realized summer was a gift because I was ready for a break. I was tired all the damn time, I could honestly sleep as a career. I had an intimate relationship with Netflix that didn’t change much over the summer and I would jump in front of a car to protect my wifi signal. I actually craved the free time I had when I can go to the gym even though I am constantly on the move, so, whatever, screw the gym part. Anyway, is this what college does to you? I guess it does. It creates change within you and your social life, personal life, and, well, life.

But what happens when the dust settles and the textbooks are burned (don’t judge) or are thrown away? We pack up and don’t look back—we are about to be reunited with pets and a fully stocked fridge, but sometimes it isn’t easy to look forward because you miss that empty fridge and your goofball friends and the relationships you’ve worked so hard to make. Well, now it is time to return and make another change in our lives and disturb the routine we have every day.

I like to call it “Creature of Comfort Status.” Change can be damn hard. Some people love it. It is exciting and adventurous and can be calming at times. Some hate it, as it disrupts them internally. Everything can fall apart including themselves. And then there are the few like me, the people who are indifferent but, depending on certain types of change, can be swayed either way. How do we handle change? How do we handle ourselves?

Change comes in so many different forms, like yeah, you gained some weight, or lost (totally possible). Maybe you get a new boyfriend who treats you differently than the last. You attend your 14th school and decide maybe this is where you should stay. Your parents separate, and then they separate again, and one more time just in case.

Change can be great. It can be a gateway to new adventures and new people that change your life. Like when I decided to go to University of Iowa—what a change that was, and yeah it changed me as well. See, that's positive, right? I grew and found a part of myself, maybe not the whole thing, but a part. That change in my life brought greatness into my life, and it can do the same for you too if you let it.

I was so affected by change that every day for lunch my mom would pick me to eat and if she couldn't make it, I would pretend to do homework that I didn't even have. I let the disappointment control me and affect me really negatively and that only resulted in more pain. I made so many changes to escape the life my frustrations, It became even worse to get by. I know at this point you're probably thinking that after everything I just said, change can't be good, but there came a time where I realized I needed to make a change; a change that resulted in me not running away from my problems and facing things that may be scary but could help me grow as a person. I took a plunge and that resulted in the person I am today.

Moving is hard, death is tragic, and divorce is painful. Just try, in times of negative change, to make it positive for yourself. Work through that pain because change is a temporary thing. You have a chance to begin again. In times of despair, just know there is a light at the end of whatever dingy tunnel you're stuck in. Believe in yourself and trust the process of change. It may suck at first, but don’t fall apart because it is a waste of who you can be. Show the damn world who you can be and don’t let change define you. Define the change.

So now, as we return to the books and the friends and the much needed tailgates, we change our lives again. With change comes new memories, and that can be amazing.

Change occurs all the time, every day, and it is just the truth. That truth can hurt, but that doesn’t mean it won't help you look back and appreciate how you've grown.