Life is a Ticking Clock

On Wednesday, August 21st, I started my junior year of college. Even a week later, it all seems unreal. Not to sound cliche, but it feels like only yesterday was my very first time stepping onto the University of North Alabama's campus. Nonetheless, nearly 90 credit hours later, here I am! It is overwhelming to think that in less than two years I will be a college graduate.

I have come to terms with the fact that with each passing day, I am getting older. I am no longer the freshly 18-year-old version of myself that I was two years ago. However, coming to terms with the fact that others in my life are aging too has been a more recent battle.

It does not feel as shocking when I am reminded that I graduated high school two years ago. When you put it into the perspective of my baby sister being a senior in high school, however, this is when the shock sets in.

I still view her as the 14-year-old who never wore makeup and refused to sleep without the T.V. on. This time next year, she will be in the same shoes I was in when I started my college journey. Possibly the exact shoes because the older she gets, the more she steals from my closet. Perhaps this is her hidden way of remaining close to me even when I am no longer home. It's poetic in a way; the idea that we cherish each other's company more with age.

Seeing my sister becoming a young woman, my grandparents becoming less mobile, my dad becoming a grandfather, and my mom preparing to be an empty nester has been strange. I thought time would pause when I left for college, but it seems to be moving faster than ever. It's both intimidating and beautiful to see my own life and the lives of those I love changing before my eyes. Time is a gift that I am forever learning how to appreciate.