My Life's Not What it Used to Be

Change is a very strange concept. We know it's going to happen, yet we don't necessarily notice it happen. To me, it seems as if change hits like a tiny white golf ball right in the forehead. I often find myself asking "how did I end up here?". Of course I know my actual whereabouts and the specific events leading up to my current situation, but in that moment- when I am questioning myself in this way- every moment up until the present seems to fleet away. It seems as if we always find ourselves asking for change, but when it strikes we want nothing but to go back. Of course, this experience is different for everyone, but for the most part humans dislike drastic change.

Since I've come to Michigan, I have definitely changed, but in a very specific way. I would say that most of my defining character alterations happened during the summer before I came to college, but other parts of me have undergone metamorphosis since coming to school here.

First off, I have become so much more self sufficient and independent. My parents are close by, but I don't have them around to call me to dinner or to remind me to wash my sheets (my sheets don't get washed nearly as often....). These are the normal changes that most new college students face, but I have undergone more adapting than just doing my own laundry. College has made me realize what really lies ahead. I've always known that there was a whole life waiting for me, but now it seems much more real to me. I now fully understand (at least I think I do) that I will go on to meet new people, be in new places, and basically adopt a life much different than the one I live now. This epiphany makes sense since starting school at Michigan has almost been a pseudo new life start. I have been temporarily taken away from the routine and people I am used to and it has definitely been an interesting challenge. Hopefully this practice will help me prepare for one of the scariest things: real life.