College Nostalgia

Today, on my power walk with Marissa, we decided to explore the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology. I've trekked through the grounds before, but something about this time felt different. The campus was buzzing with people walking around and peeping through dorm windows you could see huddles of residents watching their 40 inch flat screen TVs. Then, I realized we were amidst college kids moving into their dorms for a new semester of school. Immediately, I became nostalgic.

If you think about it, you used to "tell time" by school year. September marked the end of the summer and May marked the start. You were fortunate to get some time off around the holidays, again around February and lastly in April during Spring Break. Being a grown-up, there's no off-season. Unless you're a teacher or the like, you're working through the summers and have to "take vacation days" during the holidays. The only way to "tell time" is through weather - the seasons. THAT'S how life has changed - for me anyway.

So Marissa and I are walking around campus being our silly selves, yelling to the students, "WAHOO!! New semester!!! Yea!!!" - you know, just cracking ourselves up. Well, along come these two boys - and I just couldn't resist. I stop them in their tracks and start asking them where they're from, why they chose Stevens, do they have crushes, are people drinking or smoking weed in the dorms, etc. So these freshman boys patiently answered all my questions - and Marissa and I guided them in realizing college years are the BEST of your life and not to take them for granted. I actually really enjoyed talking to them and got even more excited when two of their friends passed by and joined our conversation. The one had a girlfriend who goes to Monmouth - and though they are long distance, they're "making it work." - Ah, so silly. So naive.

But really, I had to hand it to these guys -- they were a lot more mature than I remember the freshman boys back in the day. Is it so sad that I thought one of them was actually going to be a heartbreaker?? I think so - seeing as how I'm like 10 years older.

Point being, I wish I was still in college --- aaaaand I may change careers and be a guidance counselor.

THOUGHTS?