One year since

Going on a run around a suburban neighborhood at 10 o'clock on a Wednesday evening is actually very quiet and peaceful. Doing the same in a college town is a whole different story. I probably haven't even gone on a run at that time of day since college. It got me thinking, reminiscing the years at my alma mater. It has been over a year since graduation, and so much has changed! As I pondered and jogged (probably succeeding more at the former than at the latter), I concluded that a single word can sum up my college experience: Adventure. I think that was the most exciting thing about graduating high school, and knowing that I was leaving for a place I had never been before. It was the thrill of the possibilities: the friends to be made, the places to visit, the silly adventures that students find themselves getting into on a weekly basis. The options were endless; our time unlimited. And it all got to take place within the buffer between us and the real world, where our parents were still paying the bills while we got to call the shots.

As graduation came and went, I felt like my adventurous days were over. Now, looking back and really seeing the full picture, I see that college is defined by adventure not because it equals it, but because it marks the start of it. It is the first time in our lives where we get to (or have to) decide what we are going to do with our time, what we are going to invest in, and what paths we are going to follow or create. I realize now that this was only preparation for what real life is like. We are doing the same things, only on a bigger scale and a bigger map. I feel like all of my close friends are scattered across the country, across the world, doing what they love or searching for it. It makes me sad, and at the same time excited. I miss my friends very much. There is something about about the bond that forms with people who surround you once you've left your parents and your childhood home. We had such a community, and the fact that it was founded in Christ made it that much stronger. Going our separate ways after college did not sever our bond, but the bond was still stretched, and sometimes it hurts. Even still, I am so excited to see who everyone is going to become, and what they are going to accomplish. So much has happened in the past year, as we are figuring out where we should go and what we should do. Much has been learned about life already, yet there are so many more lessons!

I have probably brought upon way too much nostalgia for one night. But as you are looking back to your college days (or your defining years of becoming an adult), say a prayer for those who you love and miss. I wouldn't be the same without the influence of my fellow Hokies. Please know that I miss you and think of you often.