I have to say I miss college. I have now been out of college for exactly 1 year, 1 month, 19 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 7 seconds. All this time has created one thought: I loved college. The interesting thing is, when I was in college, I used those 4 years to come to the conclusion that I loved high school. Now this does not mean that I am living in a constant stage of nostalgia, unable to appreciate the moment. But what I don’t understand is why are these feelings so powerful sometimes that I just want to give up everything, call all my college friends, and get a job at McDonalds if it means I can be with them again like we once were. Day 2 of Chuck Klosterman week speaks to this.

“There are so many things that will never happen to me again, and I never even noticed when those things stopped occurring…They die long before you do. It’s astonishing to consider all the things from your past that used to happen all the time but (a) never happen anymore, and (b) never even cross your mind."
-Killing Yourself to Live (Page 130)

This is what I think saddens me the most. Waverunning at the Huntington Reservoir used to be one of the favorites of my summer activities. I have no idea when that stopped, but most likely, it will never be apart of my life ever again. I’ll never watch another high school football game with my closest friends in 20° weather. I’ll never walk again into a friends dorm room, or mod, or apartment after class, pop in a Friends DVD and watch the entire 8th season. I’ll never wake up at the Justice’s lake house to a beautiful morning, on the porch, reading my Bible, and waiting for the girls to wake up so we can go boating.

What kills me is that I don’t even know when this happened. Sure, waverunning stopped after I graduated from college and failed to return to Indiana afterwards. Football ended in November of 2000. But these are just time frames. I don’t want to know when these things ended. I want to know when these things ended. When did I wake up, and for the first time realize that those are memories of nostalgia, not next Friday’s activities. These things were so cool, so fun, so fulfilling, and I didn’t even notice them ending. I just moved along.

The All-American Rejects ultimately speak to this situation. We just Move Along and I don’t know why. I guess life doesn’t allow for you to stay put. So you either suck it up and move along or you become “that guy” who still living in high school. And being that guy is sadder then living with nostalgia.