Goodbye seems like a harsh word. My house will still be in this town, my friends will still be in this town, and my family will still be in this town. It’s not like I’m graduating and never coming back to Lucas, Texas ever again although I can’t say I’m that sad to say goodbye.

My whole life I’ve been a person who chooses the easy thing to do. I don’t really like change too much because it scares me. I can’t imagine not coming home to my room every night, not being able to drive five minutes to my best friend’s house, not having my parents cook me meals at home, and not being where I have lived and grown up for the past 15 years. A year ago if you would have asked me my feelings about college that’s exactly what I would have said, scared. But now my answer would be a little different.

Kids will always hear their parents or grandparents say cliche things like “These are some of the best years of your life” or “You will carry these memories with you forever” and those things are true. I mean why wouldn’t they be the best years of our life? We don’t have to pay for most things, our only worry is to get our homework in on time (which isn’t that hard since there are no penalties for late grades), we get to enjoy freedom without being completely on our own, and we aren’t the ones to blame if the house runs out of toilet paper. Then to the second point, these are definitely memories we will carry on, or at least remember, forever. Several times I have found myself in a moment thinking “This is a story I am going to tell my kids one day.”

Being excited for the future does not mean I won’t miss these times. I am so grateful for the memories I have made during my high school experience and all the people who have made those memories with me.

Ever since I was a little kid, college has always been coming. It just seemed so far away. Then through middle school and even high school, it just would seem like a distant thing that I would get to one day. But then one day I woke up and it was just close.

It went from being a thing in the future to “I need to start picking a bedding for my dorm.” People will tell you high school goes by fast and you don’t believe them until one day you wake up and realize it. It’s not a feeling that comes on slowly, it comes on quickly and all at once.

Now that it’s here, I don’t feel anything near what I thought I would feel. I mean, of course I’m a little scared, but I’m ready. I’m ready to start a brand new chapter of my life. About a year ago five of my friends were interested in attending OU, but I knew that where I was going all along. Then slowly but surely each one of them picked another college, leaving me feeling alone. But I think that’s the best thing that has happened to me.

Being the type of person that I am, someone who’s scared of change, I’m strangely very excited for this next part of my life. For once in my life, I want this change and I am excited for it. I’m excited to test myself, to be alone, and to find out who I am without the comfy cozy bubble of Lucas, Texas. So this isn’t goodbye or see you later, it’s peace out.