With fall break upon us, I couldn’t be more excited to be writing this from the comfort of my own comfy bed. *Cue Hallelujah Chorus* Maybe one of the primary perks of being home – showering with no shower shoes. I gave myself a solid pat on the back while I was packing to come home, after I went to grab some flip flops for the shower and I thought, “Wait a second, showering barefoot is in my very distant future!” Anyways, I came home so ready to shower in my own bathroom, barefoot, and walk down the hallway without my feet making a squeegee noise with every step I take.
Much to my dismay I arrive home to my bathroom completely under construction. As my mom tells me how the bathroom is going to look when it’s done, I can’t help but almost feel sad. What? Nostalgia for a bathroom? It’s weird; it’s a bathroom, why do I care? How is a bathroom renovation going to affect my life? It’s so minor, but after going to college and dealing with all the changes that come with it, it’s hard to accept changes to something that has been so constant in my life.
College is probably the biggest change that I’ve gone through in my life. Leaving high school where walking through the halls is full of familiar faces to attend a school where you might no nobody is quite a transformation. Living in a house where my mom cooked dinner every night, and then being forced to eat dining hall food is not exactly my favorite change about college, but there are definitely good ones. Thanks to college life I am much more independent and am better equip to handle things with which I never thought I would have to deal.
Another perfect example of change in our world is happening right in front of us – the season of fall. Unless you’re fortunate enough to live outside of the perma-cloud that is the Midwest, you can probably look out the window and see some beautiful trees full of leaves of every color. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, but isn’t it every girl’s? Leggings every day, snuggling in big sweaters, and how could I forget the infamous pumpkin spice latte. Fall is practically Pinterest coming to life. While I’m sure everybody loves everything about summer, fall is a wave of fresh air. The cooler weather wakes me up to the fact that summer’s over and school is really in session.
For whatever reason, fall always reminds me of the good times I had in high school. Whether its homecoming dances, Friday night football games, or just driving around blasting music with my friends as we drove to parties where probably half the school would show up. Fall seemed to be the peak of high school. Even though college is full of bigger and better things, I still miss all of that. That was a change about going to college, and fall is full of different things now. My falls consist of Notre Dame football games, midterms, countdowns to our midsemester break, and still going to parties with not exactly half the school, but close enough. While it might seem the same, it’s also different. Now I understand how to appreciate all the changes that accompany college, but also appreciate all the good times high school brought.
Whether it’s a change in nature, a change in wardrobe, or the transition from baseball to football season, fall brings a lot of changes to our reality. I love the leaves, I love the leggings, and I love that despite the changes in sports my brother still won’t shut up about whatever team might be playing. I loved high school fall, but as I sit home, in my bed, looking out the window at a beautiful day on fall break right now, I’m really loving college fall too.
So wherever you might be reading this, take a break to appreciate the changes going on around you, even if your bathroom is under construction and you’re forced to wake up at 8 AM so the workers can get in your house.
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather, because we all know what season comes after fall…
Therese Burke is a Saint Mary’s College contributor to Her Campus Notre Dame.