When I was in college, a part of my brain was always focused on the future. I felt like so many people had this unreal expectation of who I was, what I needed to be doing, and where I was heading. At times, I would get so caught up in the concept of “growing up” that I would lose sight of what makes life meaningful.

And what makes life meaningful you might ask?

Well, to me at least, it is the simple joys of laughter, community and taking time to be in the moment. You are only going to get this college experience once, so take advantage of it. Even if you decide to go on to graduate school (as any grad school student or alumni reading this will tell you), it is different than your undergrad years.

I think we can all agree that Yoda is probably the best teacher to have ever lived (in our hearts at least). Try not to forget one of the sage pieces of wisdom that he said about Luke. “All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.”

Are you spending time during this experience to focus on the now? Are you taking advantage of the little moments in between the milestones that you used to think college was all about?

When you look back on this experience, college is going to be less about the first day of class or graduation and more about that random Monday morning in Dora’s or that one Wednesday night in the library. Take time to enjoy these little moments and have fun while you do it.

Life is too short to miss out on this unique experience. Handle your business and work towards your goals, but do it in a way that you will look back on and enjoy not only the end product, but the experience.

P.S. If you ever walk by Brown Lupton and hear knocking on the window, it is probably me. Just face the window, smile, wave and know that someone is taking the time to say hello in a silly way.

About Student Life Spotlight

Over the new few weeks, a different staff member in Student Life will share a piece of themselves with you. They’ll reflect on what’s important to them, and what they believe will help you to make the most of your time at Texas Wesleyan.

No, they won’t be simply pitching their programs and services at you under the guise of a cleverly crafted article, but rather, digging deep to identify what has been most transformative about their experiences in life thus far, and passing that wisdom as best they can on to you.