As of today, there are 19 days until the official end of the school year. As a typical Ohio University student who has procrastinated on coursework and will spend much of that time locked away in Alden studying, I am anxiously awaiting June 10. I'm already thinking about sleeping in my double bed, taking a bubble bath and eating at my favorite restaurant.
But at the same time, the thought of leaving my cramped home in the Front Four makes me sad. I know that next year will be different, many of my closest friends are graduating or leaving to study abroad, and many of the people who will still be here I won't see as often. Even though 19 days seems like a long time, the goodbyes have already begun; some friends are already gone. This makes me wish the next 19 days would last forever, even if it meant being permanently fatigued and stressed over final exams.
If I have learned anything about relationships in the last three years, it is that the friendships in college are like a shot of espresso when other bonds are like a cup of Folgers. Both are warm and invigorating, but college friendships pack an extra punch. You come in knowing virtually no one and you know you should only be here four years. Even though I've only known them for two and a half years, my friends are my family at this point, and I am sad to watch them move on. Many of them know me better than anyone else. If breakups are bad, the approach of June 10 seems a thousand times worse.
I've never been good at goodbyes. I like things to be permanent, lasting, so goodbyes seem to be inherently against my nature. As much as I wish that life could be like When Harry met Sally and we'd all find each other on the opposite end of the country in 10 years, I know that many people will gradually fade from my life after we part ways in 19 days. Yes, I also know that I will meet new people and find new things that will fill that space, and eventually, it will be my turn to leave.
In my first column I discussed the film Everything is Illuminated
where an old woman who was the only survivor of the Nazi attack on her village has spent her life collecting remnants of the other villagers' lives and packing them in boxes. Even though she was alone, she still carried her relationships with those people through her life.
For many of us, even if we are returning to campus next year, we've reached the last opportunity to gather memories and mementos of one another. Rather than worrying about the eventual goodbyes, now is the time to focus on the joy of being together. Watch the movies you keep saying you need to watch together. Go on the picnic that you've been discussing since January. Stay up all night and just talk. Go out for one last night of Athens-style revelry. Do the things that you know you won't be able to do next year.
If you are leaving Athens for bigger and better things or one of your friends is leaving, let them know that you care about them. When we spend so much time in such close proximity, we tend to take each other for granted. As I was saying goodnight to a friend last week, I realized how much I appreciated him and how rarely I tell him that. And that I didn't have many more chances to let him know before we're hundreds of miles apart.
You don't have to say, I love you if that's not your thing. You can buy them a silly card. You can take lots of pictures together. You can make a mix tape of your songs. Or you can laugh just a little louder, hug just a little tighter, smile just a little bit bigger to let them know you'll miss them.
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Casey Westlake
