a word of encouragement

We are about to enter a very new and very different and very disorienting time, fellow college freshman. We are leaving the world of childhood and irresponsibility and petty high schoolers behind.
Maybe you're leaving home. Maybe not. But in any case, your life is about to change. College is oh so different from any experience we've had before. And it's totally normal to feel like you're just not fucking ready.

But think of this. Your life is nothing if not a series of adventures that will shape you irrevocably. And clinging to the past feels safe and secure and un-scary, but the future holds so much that you'll miss out on if you don't let go of your baggage and step forward into the new light.

Do not cry because the way things were are changing. Smile because the way things were, it was all wonderful. The experiences you had turned you into something beautiful, something unique. That something is you. And you can only become more beautiful and unique and you if you let the new experiences in.

Take a deep breath. The plunge is the scariest part. You're going to hit the water hard, no matter what, and it's going to hurt at first on impact, but then suddenly you're swimming in brand new water and it's beautiful and new and you'll be full of awe. And then it becomes home. Your new sea.

You are not going to lose your past, those things so dear to you that you are so afraid of leaving behind and losing forever. They will stay with you, in your heart, forever. And when you need them most, they will still be there.

You will meet new people and do new things and your routine will be overturned and rearranged and you will bloom and grow and change and this is good, this is so good and wonderful and magnificent. Because you are just starting to be who you truly are, your potential is just being realized, and you are going to do and see so much.

And you should be proud of yourself, right now, for taking this first step. Now close your eyes and picture yourself in the future, looking back on all of this that you are about to experience. You're going to be so proud of yourself then.

The brink is an overwhelming place to be. But instead of looking behind you at everything you'll miss, look ahead, out across the horizon, and enjoy the view.