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Beginning a new journey in life is something fun and exciting, especially stepping out into life on your own. College brings many new changes and responsibilities like having to be on top of your own schedule, doing laundry and remembering to feed yourself, but I think people get too caught up in these chores. Having the life experiences I do, there certainly are things I regret. I wish that I had taken more time to hang out with my friends instead of staying in to do my laundry or cleaning. I always enjoyed hearing my friends tell stories about the night before, or about a crazy hike they went on that day or the fun they had at the beach, but sometimes I really wished I had done the “irresponsible thing,” and put my chores off to go and have fun. There are things I do not regret missing, but are many more times that I do regret not tagging along. 

This advice can be taken in a very wrong way. The thing about college responsibilities is that they affect the rest of your life. Spending too much time doing fun things and not studying can cause you to fail and drop out, but everything is good in moderation. Stay on top of your studying, first and foremost, but also realize that in a few years you will give anything to go back in time and spend one more night in the college dorms with your friends. You are only here for four years. Be smart. Take the chances to adventure now while you are young and only have to worry about yourself. It is okay to wake up tired the next day. It is okay to have a late night and then come back and do some minor chores. I promise you that your dirty laundry can wait until tomorrow. The dishes aren’t going anywhere. Take some time to make memories that you won’t be able to when you graduate; you cannot relive it, but only regret it. 

Picture Source: This was the last big group photo I took with my buddies in Hawaii. Take pictures; they last forever.

            Life as a commuter has been amazing. Commuting gives me the time to myself in my day where I can decompress even though it is only about a five-minute drive. I can get into my car, crank my music, and just be left to my thoughts. I enjoy it in the mornings because it allows me to mentally prepare myself for the day. Not that my days are super strenuous or hard, but getting those five minutes to myself in the morning helps set my day up for success. I also find that I can get into a better gym routine because once I come to campus I do not leave until my day is done. When I have two hours between classes, I will go work out and then eat lunch. It gives me a reset for my afternoons and is also good for my physical health. Even if I do not have time between classes, I go in the evening because I tell myself, “I am here. It is free. So why not?” It helps me with my sleep schedule as well, because when I don’t I often struggle to get the sleep I need.  

            As much as I do love the commuter lifestyle and that it provides me with an amazing “work-life” balance, it does have its drawbacks. I do not have a meal plan, so I must cook every meal. Luckily, I do have lots and lots of help from my wife, but some days it would just have been nice not to have to worry about packing our lunches. Another part of it that I have not had to worry about yet but will be soon is having to clean my car off in the mornings after it snowed or waiting for my windows to defrost. I have not experienced a full winter in a few years and am beyond excited for the seasons again, but clearing off my car is one part I am not looking forward to. I wish I had a remote start on my car so I could warm it up before I step out into the cold, but that is a luxury I will have to earn another day. After all, earning luxuries like that is why we come to college, right? 

            The last two months have brought along huge changes in my life. I have had to figure out how to become a student again as well as a husband. I was nervous for both! I went from being jittery at the altar, to lying awake nervous in bed awaiting my first day of school all within 30 days of each other. I think college would have been rockier had I been on my own, but my wife, Ashlyn, has been such a blessing. She has been doing so much for me and for us since school started that I do not even know where to begin. On top of everything she has been doing for us, she has also begun her new journey in her master’s program in nutrition and dietetics.  

            Figuring out how to be a student again has been difficult. Trying to find the time to study, cook, clean, go to the gym and still be a husband has taken its toll. It has been a struggle for me trying to figure out times when I can productively study, and stressful when I know it is my turn to cook dinner or do the laundry. It feels like I am drowning sometimes, but whenever this has happened Ashlyn has stepped in for me. She would help me cook dinner or do the dishes, or even completely take over so I can do my homework. She will even leave little notes in my lunchbox whether I pack our lunches, or she does. I always try and help when I can, but she is stubborn sometimes and will refuse my help and force me to study more. I always try and express my gratitude, but I know I do not do it enough. She deserves more than I can give, and all the credit for keeping us both on track. I can honestly say I would not be doing as well in and out of school if it was not for her.