sigelphoenix

Somehow I managed to pull a 4.0 in my 18th-century lit class, despite my final essay being quite possibly the most craptacular piece of "I'm not invested in this course and I want to be DONE, dammit" apathy that I have ever produced. o_o I kid you not about the craptacularity -- I had about 15 minutes in which to write my conclusion before I had to be out the door so I could run and catch the last bus that would get me to campus in time for the 12:00 deadline. Normally I like to read through an essay one more time before writing the conclusion, so as to wrap up/connect things in the best way, but this ... this was a hastily slapped-together string of significant phrases ("English literature" ... something something ... "literary trends" ... something ... insert-author-names-here-THE-END). I saved, printed, and charged out the door, loose ends trailing behind me as I ran for the busstop. I can only attribute my grade to luck, and perhaps building up some credibility with my instructor during the course of the quarter.

So, it's that time of year again, in which I get unnecessarily maudlin and achieve embarassing heights of wibbliness. What can I say, I hate goodbyes. And the end of a school year is always sad for me, partially because it does entail separating, and also because it means a distinct shift in my lifestyle -- which means changes in my daily social interactions, environment, schedule, etc. I don't know exactly why, but that always makes me acutely aware of change, and the passing of time, and makes me feel reflective and nostalgic.

All of this is compounded by the fact that I'm done with my third year of college, and I feel like I'm rushing downhill toward the end, gathering speed as I go. It's triggered a lot of the same apprehensions and wistfulness that shadawyn has talked about before, and better than I can describe. (Plus, I just finished watching Orange Days, which also deals with the same stuff. Damn wibbly-making j-drama.)

I'll spare you the worst of my sappy little ponderings, but -- because I know that change and time are strongly relevant in our lives right now -- I pose a general question. Think about the ways in which you've changed during this past year. Being young and in school (or freshly out), I think, puts us in a position of constantly growing and adapting, so even a year can make a huge difference. What have you learned? What have you gained? How have you grown? What things have you discovered, lost, come to value, or changed your feelings about? You can be glad of the change, or regret it.

For those who aren't in school, and for whom the span of time from June 2004 to now is less relevant, it doesn't have to be twelve months. I just think that looking back to a settled date is a good way of realizing just how much you've changed, and how quickly.

( So, for me, in June of last year ... )

Anyone else?