This past weekend, I went back to Atlanta to visit my college friends. I turned back the clock and saw my best friends, caught up, went out with them, and was brought back to the idyllic years of my four years in college at Emory University.

For me, it was a way to remind myself of the people who know me best and who made me who I am. Visiting back in college was a way to remind me of my roots, and keep a constant reminder of the fact that I can't do this without the people around me.

The weekend started off with a raucous end to work. I went to happy hour with some of my co-workers and proceeded to get ready for my flight, but this was a weekend of poor planning and reservations. Perhaps I have simply been more overwhelmed recently, but I completely misunderstood my flight time. Instead of it being 6 p.m., my flight was at 11 p.m. That left a significant amount of time for myself, but I lamented getting in a lot later than I desired.

I wanted to really value the time I had to spend with friends I hadn't seen for too long. So I got off the plane around 1 a.m. and took a Lyft to meet them exactly where they were: the bar. I didn't have any time at that point to put my backpack away to where I was staying, so I went straight to the bar with my backpack.

I showed up to the bar and simply had no idea where to put my backpack. I gave the bouncer my ID, and he let me into the bar with my backpack on, much to my surprise. I greeted all my friends close to the entrance of the bar and brought them a drink with my lucrative teacher salary.

I reconnected with friends that made me who I am, who influenced my life and career choices and taught me the importance of relationships in life. My college friends know me better than anyone else in the world, and for that reason, I regretted not visiting back more frequently.

I would go on to spend the whole weekend with different friend groups. The time spent hanging out wasn't monumental or extraordinary. And that's what made it so special: for a while, we turned the clock back to the ordinary life we had when I was with my friends. It felt like I was never gone, like I was reliving my old life and filling an indescribable void I've had in my heart for a long time.

Then came the nostalgia that allowed me to, for a weekend, have my old, idyllic life back. I was reminded that life wasn't always spent having fun with people who feel like family -- that's what weekends and vacations are for. Tomorrow, I will go back to my normal, crazy life as a teacher in inner-city Baltimore.

But even though much of life changes very quickly, returning to a place I lived for four years and with people I spent four years with reminded me that some things never change. The close bonds and friendships I built will never change.

At some level, it was disconcerting that most of the people I'll engage with in my life will never know me as well as my college friends. They know details about me and my family that I have never shared with anyone else. They have seen me through the worst and darkest moments of my life where I didn't think I would make it through the day. And I have done the same for them.

My weekend back in college reminded me that life never stands still. We go on. But just when we go on, we always need an anchor that ties us back to our sense of self and identity.

For me, my college cross country team and college friends are that constant and anchor. They bring me closer to God and remind me that God's gift of unconditional love often comes in human form.

I could write a whole book on my shenanigans and deep trials with my college team, but unfortunately, this is just an article. They gave me a place to stay and provided me with the hospitality of family.

Tomorrow, life will go on. And I always say that phrase like it's a good thing, but for me, right now, it isn't always a good thing. I'm reminded of the part of my life that's over, the phase of my college days that has to be put to the side. We aren't in college forever, and going on requires that we forge a new normal, with relationships that grow closer but also relationships that grow more distant. We forge a new normal that accommodates our present state of affairs.

But we can never forget the past. Time going by too fast shows me that the past sneaks behind you faster than you ever imagine, and even if you don't always appreciate it at the time, there will always be a big part of you that will miss whatever you're experiencing and going through now.

Life went on. It wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't a good thing for me either. It's just different.