Time is of the essence...

          I find that the longer I'm alive, the shorter I realize life is. Each day passes faster and faster. Life is funny like that. The phrase "never put off to tomorrow what you can get done today" means that you should always do what you can on a given day. I've come to interpret it in a slightly different way. I believe that you should always do what you are able, while you are able to do it. While that may seem elementary, it holds true. If you are able to make something happen for yourself, do it. If you can do something that will better yourself, then do it. And if there is something that you want to do just to be able to say that you did it, by all means go do it.
          I feel like adopting this sort of lifestyle is the most positive thing that you can do to make sure you take advantage of every moment you have. People create a bucket list for things they want to do before they die. But since each day could be your last, why put off to tomorrow what you can do today? I say that people should make a bucket list of things they want to do right now. You want to skydive? Go tomorrow. Want to go to the mountains? Hop in the car and go. Cherish every day, every hour and every moment, because death is simultaneously the most certain and uncertain thing about life.
          With the recent tragic deaths of two UNC students, both still teenagers, I hope that everyone around here has adopted this philosophy. When you see stories like that on the news, it seems distant to you, almost as if it happened in another world. But when it happens within your community, to people you know, it feels real and it hits much harder. It serves as an unfortunate remionder that no one is ever promised tomorrow, and that is the cruel reality.

Back on the Hill

         
          As each and every one of us has returned to the place we call home, the land of the beautiful Carolina blue skies and the Carolina girls, we fall in love with it all over again. Each step we take along these brick paths adds yet another memory to our already immense collection. Each friend you see again and each new face you meet signifies yet another magical moment in your memory bank. Every time you step out on the quad and you're washed with the bright sunshine of another incredible day, know that you have been given a priceless gift.
          Words never really have been able to describe the love that I feel for this place. Every time I tell someone that I am a proud Tar Heel, they always ask one question. "Oh that's great, do you like it there?" Do I like it here? Van Gogh "liked" painting, Beethoven "liked" music, and Jordan "liked" basketball. Ali probably "liked" boxing and Oprah "likes" helping underprivileged people, but my emotions for this university could never be described in the simple terms of "like."
          No, my response is usually that I love it here. But as I've begun yet another chapter in my life as a Tar Heel I have realized that even that phrase is underselling my feelings about this place. I feel stronger about my ties to this priceless gem. The Southern piece of heaven resides in everything I do. It courses through my veins and it is in every breath I breathe. When I leave I instantly anticipate coming back. Every time I set foot on this campus it feels like the first time all over again. There are hundreds of moments throughout the year where I look around and pinch myself just to make sure I'm not dreaming. It's almost too perfect to be true.
          Alas, I feel my time here running out. I feel it every single day. I cringe with the thought of having to leave for good and venture out in to the real world of nine to five jobs. As a freshman, four years seemed like an eternity. Now as a junior I'm afraid to blink and miss it. I find peace in the fact that even though one day I will have to leave this place, I'll never actually be leaving it behind.

To this day when I hear that song...

          I'm sure everyone has noticed that there is almost always a song that relates to your current situation and mood. Whether it's a Zac Brown Band song that sounds perfect while you're driving your car with the windows down in the summer, or a Coldplay song that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you hear it late at night, music somehow has an effect on all of us. And I know that there are those songs that will sneak up on me if I happen to ever put my iPod on shuffle. They sneak up on me and remind me of an ex, an old friend, my family, or just a different time in my life.
          I hope that everyone has those songs. And I hope that you all don't skip those songs when they come up on your iPod. Let them play, let those memories come flooding back to you, even if they remind you of a rough time in your life. Because those songs can make you appreciate everything that you have today. They can make you see everything you have gone through in order to get where you are. They can remind you of all the memories you made when you thought you were having the time of your life. Those times back in high school when you thought you ruled the world. Those days that you never thought would end. All of those friends that you lost touch with, and all the ones you still talk to every day. All of those memories mean something to each and every one of us, for better or for worse.
          So don't skip that song. It's only about four minutes long, so take that four minutes and let your past come back to you. I don't advise that you dwell on it, just think about how it got you where you are today.

Take a second...

          All of us college students are currently busy burying our noses in textbooks, reviewing notes from all of those classes that we didn't want to take, and looking at PowerPoint slide after PowerPoint slide trying to cram as much knowledge into our brains as humanly possible. Staying up late, getting up early and pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion. But at what cost? We all say that we can't wait for summer, that we can't wait until exams are over and that we can't wait to go home. But I've started to notice something. While we are all busy rushing around from the library to exams and back to the library, every one of us is missing something.
          Everything we do during finals week is aimed at a goal somewhere in the future. Aiming to pass an exam, to boost a GPA, to graduate, to get a degree, to get a job, and all of that is great. But what about right now? While we are focusing on the future we are missing the here and now. I've started trying to walk a little slower to the library, to take in the surroundings at one of the most beautiful universities in the country. Whatever your favorite sight is around campus, don't forget to take it in. It may be finals week, but there is still time to see the sights that make all of our hearts flutter with pride in this university.
          Looking back on the past two years for me has been scary. It has gone by so incredibly fast. So in order to take full advantage of my time here I have recently started trying to enjoy every moment for what it's worth. I walk a little slower to class. I look around me instead of in front of me or at the ground. I always stare at the bell tower with admiration and I always pause for a moment outside of Wilson Library looking across the quad at South Building. Because time flies faster with every day I spend here, and I've realized that if I don't stop and take a moment to look around me then everything will pass me by.
          So this is my small piece of advice to anyone who takes the time to read this. Take a second everyday to look around you and focus on where you are, not where you're going. I assure you that one second will not delay your day, and when you look back you will appreciate it that much more.