When You Don’t Know What To Feel

My Facebook news feed is going crazy with excitement and angst. Why? Because so many of my FB friends are headed off to college for the first time.

Do you remember the first time you left home? Whether it was to college, out to your own place, moved in with your significant other, whatever, that’s a big experience almost everyone has.

When I first left for college, I remember being out of my gourd with anxiety and excitement. It was a whole, big new world and I was pumped to dive into it. Then, when I did, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was a new world, true, but it was pretty lonely at first. Moving nearly 200 miles away from my best froiends, I was in a new environment, knew hardly anyone, just a whole slew of newness…and I didn’t especially like it. I saw reunions of other Missouri State students; friends excited to see each other after months of being apart. I, on the other hand, knew no one.

That’s the bad thing. The good thing was that it didn’t take too long to start making friends-some of which I still have to this day. But those first days at school? Yeah, sad, lonely, scared and intimidated.

For my young friends who are headed off to college for the first time, take it from a veteran: give it some time. The newness will be gone in a short time. You’ll make friends, experience new things and, soon, it’ll just be your life. To get to that point, though, you’ve gotta dive in head first. I encourage and challenge you to put yourself out there. Walk up to people to make new friends, go somewhere uninvited, smile, experience. You’ll be glad you did.