A time in our prime

At our physical peak

At our attractive peak

When we feel we can conquer the world

Energy is infinite

Friendships become a lifestyle

Art expression and critical thinking become a language

Learning becomes a religion

Bars are our jungle gyms

Kissing becomes a Friday night

Dancing becomes a weekend walk

Our opportunity to learn from the brightest minds

Venturing out in the night life and experimenting

We discover our identity

We discover what we’re capable of achieving

We discover intense love and heartache

We go beyond our comfort levels

So much happens in the 4 years

Enough memories in a week to last a year

And growth beyond a lifetime

A utopia where everyone you admire is invited to the party

Your only responsibility is to yourself

Deadlines and exams become our stressors

Peers and drinking are our therapy

Yet never contrived as a problem

From a world away, the experience is majestic, like your favorite soap opera

You are the star of the show and your friends are the remaining cast

Music that plays in your ears are the soundtrack

Yet those 4 years float away like a ship lost at sea

The further away you get from this experience you miss it

The real world isn’t as colorful

True life isn’t nearly focused on you

You need to find new meaning in an imbalanced society

If college is a high dude wearing aviator sunglasses and a Hawaiian T-Shirt

Welcoming you for a casual chat

Then the real world is a monster swallowing you whole

Chewing and then spitting you out on concrete

Your friends drift away as they:

Get married

Have children

Stop communicating

Or life’s uncertainty

Yet post it over social media

Making you feel worse about yourself

Ten years later thinking

How did I get here?

When did all the fun stop?

Why is life’s age expectation making me feel incomplete?

Is there some magical DeLorean to take me back?

No, but enjoy each moment

With or without your friends

Make the best of every opportunity

And know that the College Years

Was just the beginning

Today can be better without comparing to yesterday’s past