College is just on the horizon. With my transition to college, comes moving out of the place I’ve called home for 18 years. There are countless things I’ll miss, including the big ones like how comfortable my bed at home is, my immediate family, and my friends. But, today I’d like to shed some light on the smaller things. In fear that my trip to college is going to leave some of the little things unappreciated, I want to highlight small things I grew up with that I’m going to miss dearly.
The Transition from Winter to Spring
With my college, all the seasons pretty much blend together but from all my time here in the midwest, I can say that these were my favorite days of the year. The move from absolutely brutal winters, to the beautiful breezy springs almost feels invisible. Every year, it has started with one day where it feels warm enough to wear shorts. From there, it might fluctuate back to snow and sub 30s, but at one point you put on shorts and don’t have to look back for months. I’ve always loved these days, but they’ve always gone forgotten. But, the feelings of it being hot enough to shove my sweatshirt down my backpack, or it being so warm at recess that I’m sweating in my next class, will be missed in college.
The 15 Minute Walk to the River by my House
There’s this river by my house and I’ve been there countless times. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been on that bridge, or how many interconnecting paths I’ve explored in that area, but I do remember the first time my dad showed me that spot. Our walk there seemed so long back then, and he showed me this fallen log in the woods that me and my brother took turns balancing on. Nowadays, my walks there feel like they end too quickly, and I can’t remember the last time I walked on a fallen log. Of course there will be plenty of places to walk to and plenty of bodies of water to see, but none will have seen the rocks I skipped during quarantine after zoom class or the conversations about college I had alone with my dad.
Snow/Institute/Parent Teacher Conference Days
With all the years I’ve spent in the district, I can never remember the days off we have. Honestly, I liked it better that way. Mixed into the long weeks of school, I’d occasionally get the surprise that tomorrow was an institute day, or that we’d have a three day week due to parent teacher conferences. To be honest, snow days were one of the few good things that came with the crazy midwest winters. But, I haven’t had a chance to really appreciate them. For the longest time, these things were just little surprises built into the school system, but they’ll be gone pretty soon. I can’t remember the last institute day I had, or the first time I had a snow day, or even when my parents stopped going to parent teacher conferences, but I can at least appreciate that they happened.
Nike Park Pickleball Courts
This is a bit of a recent addition, but I had to sneak it in there. Almost an extension of my pickleball blog, I’m going to miss this place. Of course there are going to be pickleball courts on campus (a crucial piece of my college research), but I’m not sure that any will feel like home. Nike Park was where I first fell in love with it, and it feels like I’ve been chasing the feeling of sunset summer pickleball with friends ever since. Here’s my opportunity to really appreciate having nice, outdoor pickleball courts with an active community so close to home.
There are plenty of other things I could add to this list, from the Andy’s Frozen Custard, to the community jigsaw puzzles at the library, to the seemingly endless amount of Chipotles in close proximity, but I just don’t have the space. In short, it feels like I haven’t truly appreciated growing up in this place until it’s about time to move away. Of course, this place isn’t perfect, but what place really is? I’ll have my complaints, and I’ll have my praises, but in the short time I have left here, I’ll embrace it all.
As Robert Brault said, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
I think he was talking about the Pickleball courts.
Matthew, I agree that the little things will be missed. I’m not sure that it is missing these little things that for me is sad, but rather missing the characteristics of home that these things together bring. As I am moving to the South for college, the loss of dramatic seasons particularly resonated with me. To me, losing the contrasting forces of winter and summer, and not having these seasons to pair particular events with (like my birthday in the summer), hits me as losing a component of the year that brings an immense yet subtle value. Furthermore, losing family time like your walks to the river is something I don’t anticipate being extremely sad about, but can see myself missing as I move onto this new part of life. Overall, it’s a time of loss for these little things, but also a time to look forward to the new things that can build opportunity.
Hey Matthew, I loved your blog! The little things in our life sometimes have a big impact on us, but mostly go overlooked and underappreciated. Something so simple as playing some basketball and then going to Buffalo Wild Wings on their BOGO Tuesdays can have a big impact. I have to agree though, the cold winter to the pleasant and windy springs might just be the best thing to look forward to. The tulips blooming all over Naperville only make it better. Although it is something I will miss, and might never come back to, they are moments I appreciate and am grateful to experience. However, we still have a couple of months to embrace all the little and big things from Naperville! Great blog!
Hi Matthew, your post really invoked a sense of nostalgia. I’ve mentioned several times to my friends how college is such a bittersweet feeling. The friends you made over the last 4 or more years could potentially disappear from your life. However, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about all the little things I’d miss either. I may not be moving as far as you, but I think the distance for anyone would feel overwhelming as a first year college student. Your anecdote about the river really hit home. I think one of the things I will miss most about leaving is being able to be with my family whenever I want. I know as teenagers it seems like our parents are always harping on us, but I think we all take the time we spend together for granted and will miss them. I really enjoyed your blog and it helped to remember to appreciate the little things before I go off to college.
Matthew
This post was strangely beautiful in comparison to satire posts you’ve had in the past, and I was all here for it. I think we can all agree that the process of moving on to college is bittersweet, and especially for you moving to a whole new environment. I like how you found the things that you enjoy and took time to think about why they were important to you, but still were able to have excitement to move away. Having recently gotten into pickleball, I’m happy to see that your new school will have pickleball courts for you (I just checked and my school does too. Yay). I truly hope that we can all find the little things in our lives today that we love and hold them close to us when we need them away at school. Great Post.
Matthew, sometimes the littlest things have the biggest impact on our lives. College is truly bittersweet; while it is so exciting to explore a new place, make new friends, and start a new life, it is hard to let go of what we’ve known for 18 years. As I’m not going too far for college, I can’t say that most of these resonate with me, but moving away makes all of these things feel like memories nonetheless. I too have a river right by my house with an entire forest surrounding the train tracks that I used to explore almost every single day during COVID. I haven’t been back there in a while, but I’ll definitely be adding it to my to-do list for the summer before I leave for college. Though I’ll still be close to home, and will probably visit once a month, in the back of my head I know that it will never be the same, so it’s important that we make the most of the few months we have left here!