What's that I hear? Sleigh bells jingling? A ho, ho, ho from on high? Commercialism entering its strongest quarter?
Why, all of this can only mean one thing! And it's not Christmas.
No, what the end of 2011 brings is more than stockings hung from the chimney with care. It brings the final days of what I can safely say was one of the best years of my life. It brings the start of my last semester as an undergraduate student. If you believe the Mayans, it also brings the end of the world. But I'm somewhat skeptical of that.
What all of this means for me, personally, is that I'm entering a major transition in my life. UF will soon become part of my past rather than my all-encompassing present. And if that's not a good time to look back on everything this school has provided, I don't know when is.
For all its flaws, UF has been a great place to grow up. I say grow up because there's no denying that the person I was when I entered Hume Hall in 2008 is not the person I am now. Back then, for example, I thought spending more than $500 a month on a dorm room was an intelligent use of money.
I also thought I could skip class every day, meal plans were honest bargains on food and I had all the appropriate time-management skills to coast through my college experience with ease.
But the most important thing I've learned during my time here is not to take any opportunity for granted.
I've learned how amazing it is to be attending this school that has so much to offer. Each of us is a student (or faculty member) of one of the largest universities in the nation. We're surrounded by so many chances to do things we'll never again be able to do.
I don't just mean the free movies at the Reitz Union, either.
I mean the academic, intellectual and cultural expansions that happen every single day as long as you're willing to engage in them. I'm still young, ideological and stupid. But I was even more of all of those things when I came to this school. I thought I might even be a libertarian!
Spoiler: I was wrong.
But I learned that by venturing out and taking the chance to attend meetings, listen to lectures and see Bob Barr speak to a crowd of supporters, I didn't just grow in knowledge but in experiences that I wouldn't have been able to get if I hadn't made the leap.
I've spent the past several months writing for the Alligator, and it's been the sort of experience I'd have always kicked myself about if I hadn't taken the initiative to do it. I'm not into journalism. I'm not an English major. I've written for a few websites here and there, but I'm pretty sure the Internet thing is just a dying fad. So working with the Alligator this semester has been an opportunity I would have never had in any other setting.
It's because of this experience that I got bashed by strangers who disagreed with me and misinterpreted by belligerent readers who didn't care for my picture (at least that's what I've convinced myself they dislike about me). I've learned that separating partisanship from politics is impossible in any discussion. And I've gotten to see just how hard it is to appeal to people when you're writing about something other than pop culture.
And for all of that, I'm thankful. It's the sort of thing that UF provides an unparalleled opportunity to do.
Most of you already know this, of course. But it's nice to have a reminder. For the rest of you: Trust me on this. Reach out. Take a chance. Expand your mind and seize the day. You won't always find it so easy to do that.
Oh, and move out of Broward. Bunk beds really aren't that cool.
Alex Guilmartin is a psychology and pre-law senior at UF. His column appears on Thursdays.
