Written by Jenna Sampson
Does anyone else get the feeling that the holidays are sneaking up on us? It seems like just yesterday I was unpacking my loaded-down SUV in hot, humid weather. Now plans about Thanksgiving are being made, and Christmas lights are going up. Where did my semester go? How am I almost halfway done with my college career?When I was younger I used to whine about how long the school year was, and my parents and teachers always said, “Just you wait, soon you’ll be asking for it to slow down.” Well, here I am a sophomore in college, and those old complaints are back to haunt me. I’m finally at a place in my life where I feel like I have a grip on things, and then someone hits the fast-forward button.Part of growing up is learning how to accept change and to adapt accordingly. Most of my life has been spent fighting what life throws at me or wishing away the time and waiting for bigger and better opportunities. I look back on junior high and high school, and I realize how many things I didn’t appreciate because I was so anxious for newer things.I caught myself doing that again a few days ago. I was sitting in a rather uninteresting lecture, and I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to be out of school.” All it took was that one thought to spark a whole train of distraction. Instead of listening to my professor like a good student, I was lost in my imaginary future, piecing together my exciting career, my family, my shiny car and my white picket fence.When the bell rang to dismiss the class, I snapped back to reality and didn’t give a second thought to my mental vacation into the future and went on to have a wonderful evening. While lying in bed that night, I started talking to my roommate about how much I loved college and how these were some of the best days of my life. When I realized that I had previously been wishing away the time I had just spent with some of my best friends, it made me think about a few things.We’re only given one life to live, and we should enjoy the blessings God gives us during our lifetime. Not only should we be grateful for the good things in life, but we should also rejoice when we are challenged because it strengthens our faith. Going into the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, I think it’s important for us to stop and take a moment to think about what God has given us and the experiences we’ve had. It’s nice to think about the future, but we should never forget to cherish the present.
