I don't know how to sum up this past year any better than saying what it's taught me, because it unexpectedly taught me a lot.
I learned how to live outside of a dorm. From collecting rent to cooking and cleaning to having to reassure myself that it was just one of my roommates downstairs and not someone breaking in in the middle of the night. You know, all the fun parts of living off-campus. But I also learned how to host and how having people around is what makes someplace feel like home.
I learned what it's like to get half of my stuff stolen. This taught me that much worse things can happen and how people are much more important than things. It also taught me that sometimes you can find much more kindness from complete strangers than the people that were supposed to be helping you.
I learned out how to lead, from helping run wrestling camp advertising to finding my way into an executive board position for a student organization. If you love what you do it's easy to put everything you have into it because it feels effortless.
I learned how to look back on myself. This taught me that even if I thought something was going terribly, there was something I could do about it. It also taught me that as bad things get, there's plenty good in my life. I started to look at all the good and how it outweighed the bad.
I learned how to look ahead. I started seeing all these open doors and how all I had to do was go for them because there really wasn't anyone stopping me.
Most importantly, I learned who to keep in my life. There are people who you start to realize don't care nearly as much as you do. It hurts to admit it, but it's okay to let them go. At the same time, I fully realized just how many people care about me. I barely knew a lot of these people a year ago, but now, I can't imagine my life without them. I know they won't be leaving my life anytime soon, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
So here's a thank you to my junior year, for giving me all these lessons right before I have to worry about preparing for the real world.