Staying sane

Shall we just call this “the first day of the rest of your life”?  The old cliché.  Probably a lot of those clichés work:

•   This should be the best year of my life
•    Oh my gosh, what am I going to do next?
•    I want to do everything!
•    Oh my gosh, what am I going to do next?
•    How did this happen?  How did I get to be a senior?
•    Oh my gosh, what am I going to do next?
•    I can’t wait to be done; I am so ready.
•    Oh my gosh, what am I going to do next?
•    I’m already missing this place.  What will I do without my  friends?!

It is a big moment, the entry into one of life’s major transitions.  And all those major life transitions are by definition exciting and scary, long-anticipated and long-dreaded.  There is eagerness and fear and excitement and sadness and confusion—oh, the confusion.  All these are the marks of a major life transition.

Part of what makes this transition different from some others is that you know it is coming, you know you are in the midst of it.  So you have the ability to make choices about how you deal with the stress and anxiety and excitement.  You can make of this transition what you will.

Make it significant—pay attention to the people who have enriched your life here, who have taught you something, who have helped you become yourself.  Pay attention to the place itself—the buildings, the woods, the fields and grass; let them renew you. 

Make choices to make this time genuine.  Take some risks; open yourself to a new person, or a new idea; push yourself a bit harder than usual to learn and grow. 

Make choices to make this time fun.  There is a lovely freedom in college to play in the afternoon, to talk late in the night, to explore interesting and odd ideas, to change your hair color—every day, if you want. 

And make it yours.  Let your senior year be what you want and need.  With laughter and tears and playfulness; with intense debate and study; with friendships deepened in the wee small hours.

You don’t get another senior year, but you do get this one.  Make good choices for yourselves, so that it can be significant, genuine, and fun.