Welcome to College

Welcome to college. It's the place for you!

There's a school for everyone (I chose BYU).

Classrooms, hallways, and buildings galore,

They probably even have a bookstore.

There's parties and freedom with lots of late nights,

Just make sure you have some hours of sleeping tight.

You get here, excited to start anew

Even more excited to leave mom's vegetable stew.

Unpacking and decorating your room, it's all so great!

Hopefully you get some nice roommates...

Saying goodbye to mom and dad

Will probably make you a teeny bit sad.

The first week is filled with job-hunting, new teachers,

Lots of syllabi, and cheering your football team from the bleachers.

You dance like crazy and make plenty of new friends,

It's all fun games until it all ends.

Then it becomes....

Boring classes, three tests in a week;

Camping out in the library, forget about sleep.

Teachers are piling on homework and reading,

It’s a miracle if you can make time for eating.

Awake all night trying to study for a test

Only to take it the next day and get a D-minus.

10-page paper due one day, a presentation the next,

The realization comes—you’re taking way too many subjects!

The happy campus you thought you once knew,

Becomes a place crazier than the zoo.

Too many girls on diets, trying to avoid the "Freshman 15,"

"I quit," becomes some students' new routine.

There are couples all over, dotting the grounds,

When single people see them, their smiles turn to frowns.

The first snowfall comes: you get slush in your shoes

And make a resolve to buy some rain boots.

You get so homesick missing your parents,

These bills coming in make you scared to pay rent.

Students get creative, taking naps any place they can find,

A bench, a chair, the floor, anywhere to recline.

Going to great lengths to keep yourself alive,

And as the end of the semester nears, you think you might just survive!

Finals come and go and before you know it, you’re done!

It’s probably okay to have some fun.

And so…

The parties return, excitement is bursting.

No more worrying about a grade that is hurting.

You think to yourself, “Now that wasn’t so bad,

Next semester will be cake compared to that!”

And so in your ignorance you go online,

To register for classes at least one more time.

Welcome to college, it’s a little bit wild,

It’s exciting and scary, leaving life behind as a child.

Just know that one day, when you are old and gray,

You’ll look back on these times, smile, and think, “I loved those days.”

On Friendship

I love my friends. My best friends. They are what get me through life. If any of my best friends are reading this, you know who you are. These are the friends that I can share anything and everything with. We talk like there's no tomorrow and laugh for hours on end. And of course, we fight too. All friends do. And I hate it. But to get the sunshine, you have to deal with the rain, and I've had plenty of rain and sunshine in all my close friendships. But every time I fight with one of my best friends, I wonder if it's really worth it to be their friend. Or if they're really a true friend, because (supposedly) if they were, they wouldn't have let you down.

But life is not a movie and people will always let you down. Always. Why? Because we are all human and we make mistakes. I know I have let my best friends down countless of times as well. So if we were to give up every friend that let us down, we'd have none. Someone once told me, "People are always going to let you down, but it's up to you to decide which ones are worth forgiving." I hope I never forget that. I never want to lose an amazing friend because I was too stubborn to forgive. And I hope that when I let my best friends down, they will be able to forgive me. I found this poem online and I love it so I thought I'd share:

Best Friends

by Melissa Magstaff

Best friends

The title we chose

But what does it mean to be "best friends"?

You should see each other every day?

Well that's not true for you and me

Should silly little fights get in our way?

Only if that's how it's meant to be

Should we give?

Should we borrow?

Should we dance like there's no tomorrow?

Secrets are traded

Privacy invaded

Hugs and smiles are shared

Tears are shed

Love is spread

We know that we both really cared

I smile, you smile

You cry, I cry

I wish, you wish

You die, I die

If you fall

I'll help you up

And if you call

I'll always pick up

Best Friends Forever

The promise we made

And I know in my heart

That it will never fade.

I hope that all my best friends out there know how much I love and care about them. I'm grateful for my friends every single day and they mean the world to me.

"If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me."

Oh the Places I'll Go!

I just remembered this great poem/story and wanted to post it cuz it's definitely worth reading. I love it. :)

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

Hope you enjoyed that! Have a happy day and climb high mountains! :) :)