Dear Freshman Year,
I went into last year expecting you to be completely different than you actually turned out to be. I learned more in my first year with you than I have in my entire life thus far. Unlike anything I have ever experienced before, you showed me life through a new set of lenses; seeing how fun, exhaustion, independence, and booze can all be mixed in together…and still allow someone to come out of the experience alive. I take from you 7 main lessons:
1. You taught me to live with another person…in the same room…and not lose my shit and/or kill them
2. You taught me just how valuable coffee is
3. You taught me to rely on myself
Without my parents by my side, you taught me the tricks of the trade... after a little trial and error of course. For starters, like how to do laundry correctly; after having my solid colored t-shirts turn to tie-dye from the hot water mistake. Secondly, I couldn’t yell, “Mom! Where are my shoes?”, instead I had to actually physically look for them. And when supplies ran low, no longer could I text my parents to stop by the store. The trek to Walmart was my only option. But despite the draining effort I had to put forth, thank you for showing me what responsibility is and instilling in me a touch of pride for getting the job done, even if it wasn’t done the perfect way mom did them.
4. You taught me how to live without my car
My car, my baby that I used the entire summer of my senior year, was gone because of you. This was probably the only thing I would hold a grudge with you on. But I lived, as you taught me to use my legs, even when the thought of walking from one side of campus to the other seemed unbearable. Fighting through the exhaustion, I always got where I needed to be, and definitely got my 10,000 steps out of it.
5. You taught me to be healthy…somewhat
6. You taught me how to hold down my alcohol and take care of those who couldn't
On Thirsty Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, you taught me how to have a good time... and to stick to the beer and stay away from the jungle juice. And I learned from you that with alcohol comes responsibility, as well as the lack thereof. Therefore, taking care of those who had a little too much to drink was priority #1, providing munchies was #2, and sleeping in until 1 in the afternoon the next day was an absolute given #3.
7. You taught me how to embrace myself and be proud of who I am
I could be whoever I wanted freshman year and you helped me embrace that. Thank you for showing me how to be confident in my own skin and letting me let go of insecurities that were holding me back in high school. I was able to live life in the manner I wanted and was accepted for who I was as an individual, not what group I belonged to or what my level on the popularity pyramid was. Thank you for showing me all you did freshman year, but especially the importance of finding myself, taking hold of that, and owning it. Thanks for introducing me to a self I’ll always remember and memories I’ll never forget.
