Just because you miss the way things use to be does not mean you’ve already had the best times of your life. No matter what people say, it is normal and completely okay to miss the way things were. As humans, we enter new chapters of our lives all the time. Some will be better than others, but that is part of the grand scheme of life.

You’re not always going to have a perfect beginning, middle, and end to whatever chapter you are in. If you have experienced any life at all, you know there will always be bumps in the road. No matter how perfect you want it to be, nothing is ever perfect.

Some people may think when you say you miss high school it screams the common phrase, “You peaked in high school,” but that’s not true. Some people just get lucky and have some really positive experiences happen to them early in life, and it doesn’t mean you’ll never feel at your prime again, it just means you were blessed with great experiences or people

As I have just begun my college career, I have realized it is hard. It is really hard to leave everything you ever considered home and move into a brand new place and feel at home there. Starting over means you have to make new friends, pick up new habits, live a new schedule... It’s so hard. As lonely as you feel in this, just know you are not alone. Everyone around you is starting a new chapter, and odds are at one time or another, they missed the way things were too.

If you were lucky enough to have people who really made an impact on your life early on, then you should never be ashamed of missing the way it was when you could see them every day and really be with them instead of calling or face-timing when you’re free.

If I was asked the question, “Do you miss high school?” I would say no. But if I was asked, “Do you miss home?” I would yes without a second thought. Yes, I miss my family, friends, dogs, bed, church... I miss a lot of things, and I am sure I’m not alone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ever be happy in your new home with your new friends, your new bed, or your new schedule. Just because it is new, it doesn’t mean it's bad. Change is hard but necessary to grow.

Whatever chapter or stage of life you are in, my advice to you is to learn to embrace the new. A new chapter means a new beginning. It is an opportunity to do things you have always said you would do, a chance to inspire other people, a chance to be a friend to someone who has always been looking for a friend just like you. It doesn't mean you have to forget the past.

You can take memories with you wherever you go. It just means you should embrace wherever you are at in life. Take this new chapter and make it the best one yet.