Home for Christmas

Finally, finally done with the craziest semester to date. I know I say this every semester, but I honestly cannot believe how fast it went by--which is terrifying because I'm one semester away from graduating. No, I don't want to talk about it--or maybe I do; I'd love an apartment, puppy, and a grad school acceptance, I just don't feel old enough to be planning for the real world and all that it entails. Fortunately I have another five months to get used to the idea.

For now, I'm back in my hometown gradually readjusting to the culture of running errands with designer bags, expensive coffee, and gym clothes. While it's always a little strange to come back, this year everything seems especially pronounced. Maybe it's because of the number of high school friends I inevitably run in to when I head out to the gym or to the grocery store. Just today alone, I saw three or four in a two hour period. Most of the time we did the awkward "eye contact and nod/smile" thing that people do when they don't know what else to say, but even so, the differences were striking. Some, surprisingly enough, are already finishing up their first semesters of graduate school and law school, or, like me, are in the middle of the hurry-up-and-wait of sending off applications. Others are struggling to figure out what jobs are available come May or realizing that majoring in Underwater Basket Weaving may not have been such a great idea. Then there are those who have made the leap into parenthood, marriage, or engagement. In short, for the first time, we all seem to really have spread out and scattered to the four winds.

Don't get me wrong, I knew this was inevitable after graduation. To be honest, I couldn't wait to fly the coop of my hometown and really spread my wings in college. I guess I'm just reminded of my age and of how much things have changed when I see it in other people. So Merry Christmas, class of 2011, as we all take the next step into adulthood. Things might not be the way we imagined them when we tossed our caps into the air three and a half years ago, but it is what it is and the holidays are a time to celebrate that with the people we love the most. I can't wait to see where the next three years take us.