Spontaneity. It's a concept that I've struggled yet embraced for a long time. It gives me excitement and it gives me anxiety. It shows me how to have fun but also makes me extremely nervous and scared. I guess you can say that I have a love-hate relationship with spontaneity.

Back during my freshman and sophomore year in high school, I could never fully understand why people would be okay with doing these “crazy” things on a weekday knowing that they did not finish their homework (and yes, I am a nerd). But then the next day, people would be telling me about all the events that occurred because of these “crazy” things they did, and while I laughed and said, “Wow, I’m glad I didn’t do something like that,” to be honest, I was thinking: Wow, I wish I could have been there. Now this isn't a case of FOMO (fear of missing out) that many of us millennials face, or so they say, but rather I was thinking that while they were experiencing new events, I was reading about past events; while they were making memories they would remember in the future, I was playing it safe and planning a future.

So should I be a little more daring in my life? Should I be trying to live my life to the fullest? I immediately thought of all the clichés associated with spontaneity, and it made me realize that no matter how many times you hear these cheesy clichés, the truth is that life is short, and you really do only live once on this beautiful planet.

I personally am reserved and I like stability. That is a fact about myself, and most of the people who know me would not argue to that. As I grew older, I felt that I had to stop finding excuses not to do things, but rather to suck it up and do it. Therefore, I began to challenge myself and really began to enjoy this new found craze I have for spontaneity, especially in college. Therefore, I think I can say that I’ve done some "crazy" things that I would constitute as the norm of an American college experience.

I would like to offer a disclaimer though, because I learned during my freshmen year that not all spontaneous things are necessarily good. For example, going on spontaneous road trips to other states when you have to catch a flight the next day at the airport from the state you came from is one of those stupid ideas. Like really, really stupid.

Regardless, when I think back to these spontaneous events, good and bad, I realized that I didn’t remember the events as much as the people I spent them with and the feelings I felt during the time. I remember those little moments that I shared with others, and while I might shake my head at the thought of them, they always have the capability of putting a smile on my face because I knew that these memories are those that I would hold onto forever, and perhaps channel a little Ted Mosby and tell them to my future kids.

In a competitive environment that we live in today, as everyone in college is trying to compete on having the most appealing resume for their employers, it is hard to us to let go from our academics at times to see the little events occurring around oneself. As for those moments, it is important to know that they do not always have to be big; rather, those spontaneous moments could be simple and sweet as well.

And I’m not saying that we shouldn’t care about our academics and our future; college is highly a time of learning, and what we learn is crucial. However, so many say that a college experience only happens to you once and that it's such a happy moment before you enter the real world. While some may argue that hey, let’s face it, you can go back to college again if you wanted to in the future, and rather we are living in the real world now, college students face real world troubles, too. But the saying does have truth in it, that there will be no other time where we will be with the same exact people in the same exact community at this exact moment.

So if it means to suddenly get in your car at 3 a.m. on a Monday night with a friend to drive and get a spontaneous order of Taco Bell, do it. While it is important to pass your classes and get those A’s on your assignments, it is just as important enjoy those spontaneous and small moments we have with those around us.