As my first year of college comes to an end, it really makes me take a step back to think about everything that has happened. Just one year ago, I was getting “senioritis” and getting ready for prom without really thinking what the future was going to be like. All I could think about was finishing my senior year. After graduation, I mostly worked at Starbucks and once it was time for me to head off to Longwood University, I realized I didn’t really do anything that I wanted to do during the summer. I hadn’t hung out with many of my friends and when I did have free time, I was super lazy and watched Netflix. Even the morning I woke up to move into Longwood, I told myself this was going by way too quickly. But how was I supposed to slow down?

A couple weeks in, I heard my friend, Charlsley, was having trouble adjusting to Liberty University. Eventually, she withdrew and came back home. Over the semester, Charlsley and I became really close and I realized all the problems she had at Liberty was happening with me too. I missed home, I missed my family, friends, and that special someone. I had my best friend at Longwood with me but she had her own life and friends. Who was I to try and take her away from that?

Around the time Charlsley withdrew from Liberty, I was practicing for winter guard where I received a spinal cord injury and a concussion. Although that was a lot to take in, I didn’t discuss with anyone about how I was feeling. I tried to blame my feelings on the concussion but to be honest; it wasn’t the concussion that made me feel like Longwood wasn’t for me. It was because I didn’t want to be at Longwood.

As weeks went on, I still didn’t talk to anyone about me not liking Longwood. As miserable as I was, I started to take it out on someone close to me. It was then, I realized, that I needed to talk to someone about how I was feeling. Eventually, I left Longwood and started classes at John Tyler Community College for the spring semester. Through all the craziness, I never gave myself time to adjust. Till this day I still have problems that arise during stressful situations. Right when I got home from Longwood, I started working again. As January came around, classes became my full-time job and my hours at Starbucks decreased.

Now I know all I’m practically doing is talking about all the bad things that happened this year. There’s a point, I swear.

January was ultimately my worst month of this year..but it was also my best in a twisted way. That “special someone” took a wrong path and is currently working from the bottom, up to fix their life. Although my life didn’t completely go off track, there were qualities about myself that I needed to work on. Now I don’t know what the future holds, but all I do know is who I am now. Whether it’s family or friends, the people I care about are number one in my life. From January to now, I’ve realized what I did and did not want in my life. Since then I’ve cut people out but I’ve also brought people closer. Out with the bad, in with the good.

Eventually, everyone will have to face that. It may not happen in your first year of college but I promise you, it’ll happen. I’ve tried to have a clean slate with everyone from my past and some people didn’t want anything to do with me and frankly, I didn’t want anything to do with them except make peace. There are some things in life that you just can’t take back. But if you don’t take anything away from my article, please take this: don’t burn your bridges. Most of the people in your life will be there at the end of your first year in college. Some may even surprise you and realize you have a lot in common. Others may fade away. But don’t burn your bridges. Going off track in your life is already hard enough but doing it alone is nearly impossible. People around you care about you and only want what’s best for you. You may not like the advice they give, but take it in and think about it. That could save you from not having a roof over your head.