Back when we were in high school, our relationships with people were never as serious as they could be. Yes, we talk about finding our true friends and being friends forever. We also take for granted the people who care about us, like our parents and family, a lot more than we realize. We also don’t view our relationships with our significant others quite as seriously. Sure, people fantasize, but once college hits…your relationships get a lot more serious. You really question who will be in the rest of your life. Who’s in it and is there to stay?

Now that I’m in college, I’ve already started thinking about everything. It’s only Freshmen year in college, but it’s hard not to think about it all now that we’re actually in college. It’s still pretty crazy to think about, but the unique thing about college is that there are always people from various different backgrounds who are at completely different stages in their life. Some people are still attempting to mature and then there are others who are engaged and getting married. Some people even already have kids. To be honest, it scares me a little bit to think about it all. But as we slowly go through college, all of our relationships with people begin to change. We take a harder look at our friends and make them based off of whether or not we think we’ll be able to see them in our lives later on. Will they be the ones who will be our bridesmaids or groomsmen? Will they be the ones who are the godparents of our kids? Then we look at our family and think to ourselves about whether or not we’ve shown them how grateful we are for them. How much time do you have left with everyone? It’s morbid to think about, but reality starts to set in and remind you that you have to appreciate the people you have now while you still have them. And lastly, you look at your relationship with your significant other. Can you see yourself with them for the rest of your life? Is marriage and kids in the (far) future? Will things work out?

Most things in college seem to have more serious tones attached to them. It’s a lot to think about, but long distance relationships seem to make reality set in harder and faster. You’re so far away from everyone that you wonder who’s worth keeping in your life. It’s so easy to lose contact with someone that you really want to make sure someone’s worth it before spending all of your time trying to make sure they stay in your life. But sometimes things aren’t meant to be and sometimes they are. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that whatever happens, happens for a reason.