College changes you.

Yes, it’s probably the most cliche thing anyone can ever say about a college experience but like many cliche sayings it’s also extremely true.

I went home for one week this summer. Just one and even that seemed like the longest week of my life. However, when I was home, going through the back room of my house, I stumbled across something that made me take a minute to look at the past instead of spending all my time thinking about what will happen in the future.

I found pictures. Stacks upon stacks of pictures ranging from my first few weeks of life in Iceland to pictures of my parents during their first year of marriage, our trips to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents and the “Scooby-Doo”-themed birthday party I had back when I had the same bobbed hairstyle as Velma.

I hadn’t seen these pictures for quite some time and, to be honest, I had forgotten that they even existed. The memories themselves seemed foreign to me because it had been so long since I had given them any thought. These past two years of college have consisted of making so many new memories that some had been pushed out to make room.

Now before I get too caught up in my feelings, let me break down what my embarrassing baby pictures made me realize.

As often happens in human nature, we are expected to just keep moving forward; push past the daily obstacles of work, family, school and everything else in between to make it to the next day. Our culture fosters respect of the past but that respect doesn’t always call for remembrance. We have holidays dedicated to honoring events commemorating our country’s past where we love to get drunk and yell about how great America is. Why not take the time to remember our own pasts along with thinking about our future?

So to all the new Eagles on campus: enjoy college, love college and use every second of these four years to their fullest potential. But while you’re staying up till 1 a.m. eating greasy pizza and laughing until your non-existent abs hurt, don’t forget to leave some room in the back corners of your mind for the memories that were made before you found Georgia Southern.