I am this girl. I like routines and schedules. I like planning things out, writing packing lists, and obsessively memorizing my itinerary for trips. I'm most comfortable when there's a solid game plan. That being said, I don't hate all change, just the changes that I didn't choose and that I have no control over.

A little over a month ago, my residential hall exploded. In seconds, the building I had called home was destroyed. It's still standing, but most of the first and second floor are gone. Living situations for those on campus over the summer were in flux. Fortunately, no one was really living in that building at the time. Only one person was injured in the explosion, and thankfully, he's okay.

I wasn't on campus when it happened, but it was still rattling. Out of all of the things I had worried about regarding the fall semester, where I was going to live wasn't one of them.

We always take things for granted even if we don't mean to do it. We assume that we will still have that job. We assume our house will be waiting, exactly as we left it when we get back from the grocery store. We don't acknowledge the possibility that within minutes, everything could change.

I'm not saying that you should live in constant fear of losing everything. I'm saying that life happens and nothing is guaranteed. As someone who hates change, I hate this idea. I hate when plans fall apart. I hate the chaos of having to go with the flow. I just want normalcy. I want things to be the way they were and stay that way, but that's unrealistic.

As I've very recently realized, I think one thing that can help me tolerate change is by accepting that there is no normal. This ideal, comfortable, and routine schedule is a myth. I settle into a routine, get comfortable, and then things change on me. Life gets in the way of my safe bubble. That's what's messing me up; I have to continuously start over every time something disrupts my routine. It's exhausting, and the only way to break the cycle is to let go. Let go of this idea of normalcy. Let go of the routine that you're holding onto. Let go of your fear. Though you may not always feel like it, you are a capable person. You can handle whatever life throws at you, and you will be even better at handling it when you aren't as worried about holding onto something that's gone.

Letting go isn't easy. I personally hold onto memories and routines so tightly that they get in the way of me enjoying myself. They make me short and snippy with people I care about, and I don't like that. Don't let fear and hatred of change control you. From now on, I'm not going to let it control me.