Ah, move-out day. The day that seems so far away, and yet it comes in the blink of an eye. The antithesis to move-in day. Where the latter is filled with high energy, joyous screaming, extreme excitement, and perhaps, a little bit of fear for the journey that lies ahead, all topped off by peppy orientation guides and a week that includes all of the best parts of college (that means, without the classes!), the former can be a bit different. It marks the end of a chapter. The closing of a book, perhaps. It means moving on to whatever may come next on the road of life.

It is a period of saying goodbye.

When you moved into college, one of the first, and most thrilling parts of going to college was without a doubt researching on-campus housing and finding a roommate. Not long after that came move-in day. You, your parents, and perhaps some very loud, peppy orientation volunteers, spent the better part of the day schlepping all your crap up stairways, in and out of elevators and helped you get settled into what you would call home for the next eight or nine months.

When it comes time to say goodbye to your dorm room, it also marks the time to say goodbye to Freshman year. The big step on the way to receiving your degree, and thusly, diving into the rest of your life.

After the dorm, comes the apartment!

One of the most stressful pieces of life that I had t0 deal with my first year was finding an apartment to live in off-campus. Luckily, I found a really nice place to live with some of my best friends. And while living there had its ups and downs, and all us guys in the house had our ups and downs, we sure had a hell of a time! I wouldn't trade that time spent living in "The Burrow" as we came to call it, and I am sure sad to be saying goodbye to it next month.

Leaving my first apartment reminds me even more that the future is unwritten. That there is a great deal of uncertainty. And, that I am now in a time of drastic change. A new time of transition, and this time, I am transitioning into the rest of my life.

They started out as places to live. Then, they became home. Saying goodbye to them also means saying goodbye to the times had, with only the memories to hold on to. They made the time even more special.

When it comes time to leave your home, be sure to say goodbye. You will be glad you did. No doubt.