irvin-85The melodies of The Killers play in the living room as I stand in the middle of my bedroom. Scattered around me lay five cardboard boxes, each hopefully holding everything I will need during my first year of college. The excitement of going to college was suddenly met with the nostalgia of packing. Who knew putting your life into cardboard boxes would be so difficult?!

As I admire the sight of what used to be my room, I can’t help but feel a bit of sadness creeping in. I have lived in this house for four years. This house has witnessed my successes in high school as well as my coming of age. I will leave all of this behind in just a few days and it will forever be a part of my past. I am sure that as you begin to pack, you will experience similar emotions. This is totally natural and it is expected.

Many of my friends were happy to leave home and had no second thoughts about it. I, on the other hand, had mixed emotions about leaving. Yes, I want to be at Dartmouth as much as my future classmates, but I am going to miss home. My advice to those who are like me is the following: enjoy every moment that you have left with your family. Hug them while you are close because you will be missing those hugs when you are miles away. Share your excitement with them since I am sure that they are as excited as you are for college.

Lastly, do not let the feelings of sadness overcome the feelings of excitement and expectation. The next step that you are about to take in your life is a very important one. You should be excited. I know I am. Yes, it is hard to see most of your life being placed in boxes and to hear what the future use of your room will be, but over the horizon, lays a more exciting picture. Those carton boxes are a temporary container to your life and soon, you will be standing in an empty room wondering how to make that room your home.

I will end my post with a few words from my dad that surfaced during a conversation about leaving home. “No matter how far away you are going, we, as a family will always be together in mind and in spirit.” With these words in mind, I will embark on my journey to Dartmouth knowing that I am taking more than five cardboard boxes. I am also bringing my family along for the voyage.