The End.

Those two simple words define a year, I suppose. From the name of the first song on My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade" to an end of a loved one's life, they seem to reappear. The end of my first year, and subsequently most of my friends' first year, has arrived, and not a moment too soon. I didn't "find" myself; I didn't go through dramatic changes. I remembered who I was, and I kept to who I am.

So how did you fair? Was it more difficult than anything you have done before (I remind you, it gets more difficult from here on out)? Were you taken aback by the freedom of it all? Honestly, did you or did you not completely enjoy it? Anyway, look back at all that happened. Sometimes reminiscing is not always possible, as good things don't always happen. Sometimes you have to remember what really happened. I know I know, I was only a freshman. What do I know? But if something happens, does it really matter how young you are? If you feel something, doesn't that mean it's real? Whatever. What happened happened, what happens happens, and what will happen will happen. And is that not the only way to approach life?

Many people have it bad. Let's be honest, our lives are cake compared to most. I mean, go back to the day you walked into your dorm/apartment/whatever. Could you have predicted the way you are walking out? Could you have predicted what was going to happen? And that's the thing. You can't plan. You can't assume. You really need to take things in stride. And in the end, that's what you can plan for. You can try to prepare, try to plan for everything. But it won't be like that. And that's why you have got to enjoy the time that is given to you. In the grand scheme of things, you and I are nothing more than a grain of sand on an endless beach. But can you make a difference somehow? How will you be remembered?

So what am I getting at? A list of what happened, for you to compare to yours in our own narcissistic over-indulgent ways? Oh ok. Just a small one. From the first few weeks of freaking out, but not showing it, to a sudden passing away of someone close, to a breakup, to the purchase of the Wii, to the first finals week ever, to the end of an odd first semester, an amazing Christmas, hanging out with someone, going out a lot more, meeting many new people, including Statistics and Chemistry people whom I now consider good friends, to realizing how important your two best friends are, to realizing that you do want what they have, to sort of hanging out with someone, to going to a dance and realizing how big a difference one year can be, to really getting into Scrubs, to March Madness, to Ghost Dog and the beginning of something, something quite good, to Alexese, which if you don't know is just like Portuguese, with a little more "sound-of-spitting-with-your-tongue," to finals once again, to making something official, something quite good, to the end. The end of the first year.

And most would consider my year boring. Probably. But do you know what I've realized? It is not the easy things that make us who we are. It is not our relaxation that shapes us. It is the stressful times, the hard times, the difficult times. These define who we are. The way that we handle these makes us "us." Am I saying life was difficult? Hell no. I had a great time. I enjoyed myself, and there was something good in every day. Trust me, you can find things But does going through some difficult times, hopefully successful, make it worth it? I say it does. How did you handle your difficulties? They bring out ourselves, whether we are selfish, forgiving, angry, pessimistic, or hopeful. And in the end, it is for the best.

Here's to a grand first year...