As Ferris Bueller once so famously remarked, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it."
In just about a month, I will be returning home to the great state of South Carolina for the summer and will have successfully (knock on wood!) survived my first year of college. For me, that is pretty hard to believe.
In the midst of the endless papers and countless tests, it may seem like the days don't go by fast enough. But before we know it, the days eventually turn into years and we'll be out in "the real world," the comforts of our homes under the Dome far behind us.
I was reminded of that fact this past weekend, when my family came to visit me for Easter.
As we sat and visited with my dad's former Howard Hall mate (yes, Howard Hall was once a men's dorm), they began to discuss their approaching 30-year reunion this summer.
Both my dad and his friend could not believe that so much time had passed since they themselves had been Notre Dame students, but still said that it "felt just like yesterday."
As much as it pains me to say, I know that, all too soon, my friends and I will be in the same situation: reminiscing and longing for the "good old days" of Notre Dame.
Time is certainly a tricky thing and it is a concept that has always been puzzling to me. Some moments in life seem to drag on, while others happen in the blink of an eye.
As my father's conversation with his old friend suggested, events that may have occurred years ago, often feel as if they happened just yesterday. Meanwhile, things we may have experienced in the not so distant past, seem to have taken place ages ago.
Although the great mysteries of time might never be made clear to us, one thing is for certain. We must take advantage of whatever time we are given and learn to recognize the beauty of living "in the moment."
Despite the day-to-day challenges we may come across, it is important to keep it all in perspective. I myself am often guilty of letting the stress of classes and my ever-growing to-do list get me down.
But, as the academic year winds down and the summer quickly approaches, let's all try to appreciate that simple walk across South quad or a meal shared with friends in North Dining Hall. We don't know just how soon we maybe longing for that time again.
