Reminiscing

Cleaning my room today and I caught myself dusting a framed photo of my friends and I on college graduation day. I paused, picked up the picture and began to fully analyze it, reminiscing on the little details of the day. I was remembering how hot it was when we took photos, how sticky the ground was from popping so much champagne, how I could barely walk in my shoes yet still wore them across the stage, how we said hi to all friend groups walking by us as we all took in our last few days together and how naive we all were to think nothing would change. 

There is such beauty in a memory meaning so much to you it physically makes your stomach turn to think about, makes your nose burn like you're going to cry, and to have the urge to write so passionately about it. 

Life really has never been the same since leaving the little farm town my friends and I called home for quite some time. This is not to say my life is not beautiful in different ways now, but like I said, different.

As I dusted my photo today I also tried to dust off some old memories I have not thought about in awhile and it became hard to remember all of the details. Life moves on, and idiosyncrasies from your day to day a year ago or more will most likely be forgotten. Besides the super special things of course. 

This made me terribly sad realizing how far away these memories are becoming. To miss something is to love something but to know when to set it free. Living a whole new life almost feeling like you’re role playing in society because you have such imposter syndrome is a real adjustment. Even a year out I am still figuring out. 

My message to the 2024 graduates is to live in the moment. Take a lot of photos. Be kind to everyone. And yes, everyone feels just as lost as you while you start this next chapter.