As I sit here and study for my last finals of my last first semester of my undergrad, it's hard not to panic.

Panic about what's going to happen next year. Or the year after that? Or the year after that? What am I doing with my life? I remember I felt a lot like this last year at this time when I was preparing to study abroad the next semester: terrified.

But I also remember that around this time last year I was bored. I was bored with doing the same thing over and over and never having new experiences. Then I got excited. What if I stopped being scared and stopped constantly trying to figure out what it is that I'm going to do with my life and just let my life happen? Let myself be taken with the wonder and beauty that is around me and not waste time being afraid?

I came to realize that I was bored last year because I had been doing the same thing for so long. Yeah, I was comfortable, but I was stale and stuck and disinterested. I had become disinterested in things that were once new and exciting, and that worried me. Am I depressed? Am I okay?

I had signed up to study abroad, but I was more nervous than excited for that and I had no idea what I was going to do. I was scared of being so far away from my family for that long, of the random strangers I would come into contact with and everything else you could imagine. I was afraid.

I was afraid to leave my comfort zone and afraid to be somewhere new and different.

But once I was, I wasn't. I was somewhere new and I was no longer afraid. For the first time in a long time, I felt alive and ready. I realized that it wasn't about being entirely prepared or packing all of the right things, it was just about going.

And I think that's how life is now.

That I shouldn't be afraid of next year. It will come, inevitably, and that's okay. No, that's good. I'M ALIVE and there are so many adventures to be had and the good food to eat and amazing people to meet. It will all be okay. Take a deep breath and embrace it. Embrace your last semester of undergrad. Embrace the uncertainty of next year. Embrace the serendipitous adventure that is life.

Because life is a wonderful adventure, and I fully intend to treat it as such.

"If you're feeling frightened about what comes next, don't be. Embrace the uncertainty. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to exercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path towards happiness; don't waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action. Enjoy the present, each moment, as it comes, because you'll never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart...where your hope loves. You'll find your way again." -Everwood

The road is ahead, and the road is long. And man, I can't wait to ride it.

“Here’s to freedom, cheers to art. Here’s to having an excellent adventure and may the stopping never start.” -Jason Mraz

GO. SEE PLACES. DO THINGS. LIVE AN INTERESTING STORY AND DON'T BE AFRAID. Just enjoy the ride, my friend.