Well today is officially my last first day of school. And its about time...four years ago I started out on the greatest adventure of my life so far, and here I am, back for what I must say is a rather unclimactic ending. I guess it kinda feels like I've been left behind at a theme park after closing...all the rides are still here, but its just not quite the same without all the people. I will definitely miss my friends, who have all scattered themselves from Birmingham to China. Auburn is wonderful, but these people made it the experience I will never forget.
On another note, I am currently in the middle of reading the Time Traveler's Wife (a wonderful book to read if you have not yet done so!). And it has kinda gotten me thinking about all of the moments in my life that I would return to if I had the ability to travel through time. Here are my top three:
1. The summer of 2005 right before I began my adventure at Auburn. Teresa Niki and I spent two memorable weeks in Dallas/Ft Worth as a last hurrah before we went our separate ways for college. I will always remember it as one of the most special times in my life as we two stepped our way through hours of George, great food (duh), and a little harmless flirting with a few Texas cowboys. I truly believe this trip set us up to stay just as close together through the four years that followed...I know nothing will ever be able to touch that.
2. Mid-June in Paris, Summer 2007. I was sitting on the lawn underneath the Eiffel Tower with Susan, Chloe, and a bottle of French wine. It was such a small event, but it was the moment I felt as though I had finally arrived in Paris, and everything was going to be okay. As we sipped rose and watched the tower sparkle, I can still remember the way I felt as homesickness began to fade and the joie de vivre of French culture made its way into my heart.
3. Climbing into the taxi cab on July 31, 2009 as I made my way back to La Guardia. With home ahead of me, and a successful 8-week internship completed, I have never felt such a feeling of accomplishment and self-assurance as that. I came, I saw, and I conquered my goals...with very few meltdowns involved I must add! It was a defining point in my life, and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it. Thanks to all who believed in me and made this possible.
So those are some of the highlights. Frankly, I would be quite happy to start all over as a freshman and relive my entire college career. I can understand a small amount of what my parents must feel at times, when they say how much they wish they could go back and put themselves in my position, knowing what they know now. I wonder how different things would be if you had a real life mulligan to use every once in a while?!
But, as of late, there are no time machines, and all we can do is continue to move ahead and relish the time we are given in the present. As time begins to fly by, faster and faster, I am realizing just how precious the present is. I hope to make the most of every moment and not let the little present things or the past things or the things in the future that I may worry about get in the way. Je veux chercher la joie de vivre dans chaque jour!
Et je veux la meme pour vous, mes amis! Bonsoir cheris.
