“Good reflexes,” I groggily utter, waking up from my nap as my friend made a sharp right turn with the steering wheel. On our way back from watching the sunset and drinking a communal cup of hot cocoa, I realized how nice this was. Yes, spending time with friends. Yes, watching the sunset. But especially the nap that my friend’s out-of-practice driving skills interrupted. I was sitting in the backseat, and with the sounds of a “J&J” (John Mayer and Jack Johnson) playlist in the background and the sight of a Missouri sunset still burnt into my eyelids, I fell asleep.

Remember napping in a car as a kid? Maybe after practice, a game, or even a long day at the playground. Sitting and letting the randomly rhythmic jolts of the car gradually turn into a perfect nap. Waking up in the backseat of my friend’s sister’s car, I remembered those naps.

Being a college freshman for just under three months, I have been lucky enough to only be hit by minor bursts of homesickness. My real complaint has been nostalgia. I am a terribly nostalgic person, and little occurrences— like a 32 minute nap— make me feel like Harry Potter falling into Dumbledore’s pensieve for the first time.

And despite nostalgia’s spontaneous appearances, I find myself looking forward to remembering things from back home. Like staying in on Friday night with friends, ordering way too much pizza, and watching 13 Going On 30. Or coming home after a long day of school and having my dog greet me as if I just returned from a 15 month voyage around the world.

But, all of this isn’t to say I won’t be nostalgic for school once I return home. After just one weekend away during Fall Break, I found myself missing the deserted sounds of pre-med students echoing from my floor’s common room. I missed sitting down for dinner in BD only to realize I had been there for 3 hours. I missed the succulents beside my bed. And I missed the borrowed “TURN RENOVATION IN PROGRESS” sign perched above my desk.

I think I just love the little things.