“Boarding for gate E14 to Madrid will begin in 15 minutes,” is all I heard as I rushed towards my gate, seamlessly making it right on time. My eyes glazed over the crowd, looking for an open seat to drop my bags at to catch my breath. I could feel a light sweat forming on my back, possibly because of the sprint I did to the gate and my three layers in the middle of July. Making it photo finish to airports probably won’t change. I would normally have to scavenge through my bag to find my boarding pass, but since it’s 2023, all airports have switched to majority digital passes. 

                               ——

     I just graduated Rowan University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and have an interview with the EPA when I get back from this trip. Throughout my college years I have learned and grown so much, of course. I’m assuming the same way I felt as a high- school senior reflecting back on my naive freshman self, is the same way I’ll feel in college. I’m expecting that once I graduate college, I’m going to be a full fledged adult with things to pay and shit. The same person by my side now, will hopefully be the same person by my side to experience life with. 

    Traveling, hiking, going to the beach, playing and making music are all things I expect to stay the same. Maybe I’ll find a passion for reading, but I don’t know about that, that’s kind of far-fetched. Being with friends and family and surrounding myself with good and inspiring people for sure won’t change, I know that. 

      Thinking far into the future honestly scares me. We all have a plan that we assume will work out or at least hope will happen, but no one really knows. When I stop and think of the pondering question, Where do you see yourself in the future?, I always say the most generic things like “graduating college” or “hopefully working my dream job” because who knows. Life has a way of changing up the plans we give ourselves, so let’s just take it one day at a time.