As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that time goes by much quicker than it seemed to. Looking back, high school flew by like the blink of an eye. One day I was a doe-eyed freshman walking into unchartered territory surrounded by intimidating seniors and lockers taller than me. The next, I was walking across 5-foot platform shaking my deans hand and holding a diploma. Don't get me wrong, some days and weeks felt like they were taking forever. But, in the grand scheme of things I realized just how quickly those 4 precious years of my life went by. Some of the most critical times of my life too.

Now being in my second year of college, this reality is becoming more and more apparent. I spend my days basically having continuous trials of adulting. Testing my capabilities as an independent contributor to society. Seeing how well I can handle daily stressors, solve real-world problems, and hold myself together. A constant cycle that sometimes seems to never end, until the weekends. Freshman year feels like it never happened. Some of my most treasured memories and funniest stories are now in the past and just that, memories and stories.

And now I'm almost halfway done with my undergraduate career. Two more years and I'm done with what most consider "the best years of your life". That means I'm one more milestone closer to entering the real world of early morning alarms, hard black coffee, mortgages, phone bills, and all the in between. I could vomit just thinking about it.

I guess what I'm really trying to say here is learn to value your life. I don't mean that in the morbid "you never know what day will be your last" sense, but life and time goes a lot faster than we think. Don't spend time sitting around moping over that bad breakup, sobbing over that bad test grade, avoiding a good night out because Chad kissed Becky last weekend and lied to you about it, or holding petty grudges. Make the most of every opportunity, take chances, push yourself outside your comfort zone, and don't take anything for granted.

It all sounds great and dandy until a roadblock comes our way, but we need to stop looking at every obstacle in our life as a reason to stop being grateful. In the wise words of the late Robin Williams, "Carpe diem, seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary." Don't let time just pass you by. Make the most of it and seize your day.