Spring is upon us. The trees and flowers are blooming. There are many little animals running around. Baby ducks follow their mothers around the lakes. In fact, I almost hit one, which would have made me cry. As I left campus Sunday night, I thought about how it should be warmer outside since it is spring and all. With all these thoughts bouncing inside my head, I began to realize how this whole end of the school year thing has become a reality.The seniors are actually graduating and not coming back in the fall. I have quite a few friends in this class, so not seeing them this fall is going to be sad, as I will miss them dearly.Everyone goes home in less than two weeks. What am I going to do without all my friends? I live, eat and work with my friends - most of whom do not live in Atlanta with me. I have a couple friends from school back home, but it is going to be tough to leave everyone for the summer.I'm going to miss campus. I love to see the Dome lit up in the night sky, a shining remembrance which stands tall night after night. I'll miss the beautiful lakes. I'll miss the Grotto - where can I go to find peace at home?So last night, when I had to brake for the ducks crossing the road, it made me realize that I cannot control how fast the time I spend here goes, but I can control how I cherish the time. I need to slow down my life and not rush through all that I do.I made a promise to myself to "brake for ducks" every moment I can. I will make sure that I realize how lucky I am to be at school here. I will cherish my friends and the memories that we make together. I will look at the Dome and remember why I chose to come to school here, so far away from Atlanta and all that was familiar to me.Although my second year of college is coming to a close - a fact that I can hardly believe to be true - I know that I have two more amazing years ahead of me with incredible people to surround me as I learn and grow up.I'll miss the seniors, but I'm confident they won't be strangers in my life. I look forward to the fall and am excited about football season and seeing all my friends again - particularly those who went abroad for the semester or year.But before I can get ahead of myself again, I need to "brake for ducks" and enjoy what I have in the coming two weeks before the start of summer. Then, I can enjoy my time off from school, come back rested and continue to forge my path into the real world.
