We've all had it, the fear of missing out — the desire to be in a certain place or time, and the feeling that we're not going to be a part of something that everyone's going to be remembering for years to come. But what happens when you have FOMO for the future, for days, months or even years that haven't even happened yet?
As I was walking down my sweet college streets, admiring our pretty brick roads, breathing in the fresh Athens air and loving on the music, blaring from all the different porches and yards, I couldn't help but feel FOMO for all that is to come after my dreaded graduation day. Even though I still have two years left in my heaven on earth, I'm afraid that there's no number of days that will feel like enough. That every day after will be filled with FOMO for the times I'm not quite ready to give up.
I wish so much that I could tell every freshman moving into their dorm that the time will fly by, the memories will grow, and that every second of every day is something to be celebrated. Because even as I sit here, two years down, I can't help but think I haven't cherished it all enough.
These are the days you're allowed to make mistakes, the times you're allowed to make a fool of yourself and scream it from the rooftops. The days where you can explore a new interest every morning and decide at night if it's worth another shot. The days that, once they're over, you can't get back.
But all in the same breath, as I looked around and felt heartbreak for my future days of reminiscing, I realized that if it's done right, FOMO has no room to make its way into your life. If you've spent your days packing in adventure at every second's end, then you will have done all there is to do and when you look back, you can have joy in watching everyone do as you did, but not feel as if there was something you left behind uncompleted, a day's journey left unexplored.
We spend so much time on social media, vicariously living through others instead of doing the living ourselves. We have an acronym for a fear of not fully living and that's something I wish were not so. And while it's OK to miss the days you loved and to have a little regret in missing out, you shouldn't be living a life where the biggest thing you think about is the days you missed out on, instead of looking to the future and planning for the days you have wide open.
Fill each day with so much life, love and laughter that when you lay your head down at night your reminiscing with a smile on your face instead of thinking back and imaging the could have beens.
