'Enjoy Your Lasts'

As I was thinking more about my post yesterday, and about Blue-Eyed Bride’s original post, I remembered one of the best pieces of advice I ever received in college.

It was from a friend, a close friend at the time. She was graduating the spring semester before me; I was graduating the next fall.

It was towards the end of that spring semester, it may have even been finals week, and we were chatting (I don’t remember if it was over lunch, in the computer lab, or one evening while hanging out), but she started getting nostalgic.

Then she got serious and turned to look me in the eyes and said, “Really enjoy all of your lasts. Take time to savor all those precious moments, don’t just rush through it. I did and it’s one of my regrets, I was so focused on ‘being done’, ‘getting out of here’, ‘graduating and starting my real life with my real job’ that I just went through the motions and kept looking ahead. I should have been more present. I should have treasured the last home football game and the last group project no matter how crazy the assignment.”

That conversation drastically changed my outlook for my last semester and I took her words to heart. Every opportunity that I might have skipped before, I made a point to not only take advantage of it, but to enjoy it. My last semester, was probably one of my best, most fun, and most memorable semesters. I owed it all to her.

Now every time I talk to a senior in college that is stressed out about group projects, finding a job, and 'getting out of here and moving on'; I pass on the same advice because I know I would have rushed through that semester just to get to graduation and I would have missed out on so many great memories if someone hadn't taken the time to remind me to 'enjoy my lasts'.

It’s also advice that can apply to a lot of different stages of life, such as being engaged :)

Thanks for listening…I promise the next post will get back to food.