Life Before Noon: A Millennial’s Manual

The woman I am now is a far cry from the girl who stepped foot on the campus of JMU four short years ago. College was more than a joyride to me. The best way I can describe it is eight semesters of change that rocked me to the core. Okay so that’s incredibly cheesy and a tad embellished at best, but hey, that’s me.

With only one night left until graduation, the nostalgia has already begun to sink in. Knowing that I will never be able to experience college — the classes, the people and the way of life — in the same way again makes it so hard for me to leave. But mixed in with the pain of goodbye is the delicious anticipation that comes with the future. And I find solace in the fact that I’ll never really leave JMU behind — it will be with me every step of the way as I walk off that stage and into tomorrow.

What that tomorrow is, I don’t exactly know yet. Despite my incredibly professional Generation Y experience, I have yet to land my first post-grad job. So I’m executing Plan B and moving back home for the summer to figure it all out. Not the ideal situation, or is it? Who knows? That’s the point.

Leave it to the words of the wise,

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” — Gilda Radner

So here’s to the rest of our lives, whatever they may be.

-Marilyn