We’ve all been there before. You’re unpacking all of your belongings on move-in day, and something seems amiss. Towels? Check. Folders? Check. Your brand new guitar that you wanted to show off at the next Soul Café? Check. You think of all the important things you might have forgotten — things that you absolutely need to survive the semester.
Maybe you forgot your trusty flyswatter, slayer of aerial assailants and eight-legged entities within your humble abode. Without it, the creepy-crawlies will go unchecked. That fly buzzing around might distract you from writing your eight-page paper tonight. That moth on the windowsill could flutter dangerously close to your precious laptop. Your room has become a serious danger zone.
Maybe you forgot your Family Guy poster. That bare wall in your room? You’ll just have to deal with it. Peter Griffin’s golfball-sized eyeballs won’t be looking your way this semester. Can you bring yourself to get another poster to replace it with, or will the wall above your desk remain blank forever? Where’s that good old-fashioned poster on which you used to rely?
Maybe you forgot your Playstation controller. Of course you have the game system itself, but not the controller that you need to play the game. You can’t do anything about that massive urge to play FIFA. You’ll have to spend your eventless Thursday evenings doing something else, like socializing or — perish the thought — reading. Someone down the hall had better lend you a spare controller, or the semester might be too much to handle.
Maybe you forgot your favorite pen — the one made by the company your uncle works at. He’s your favorite uncle, and you hardly ever see him now that he’s living in California. Every pen-stroke reminds you of him, and you won’t be able to take notes in class without feeling like you have betrayed him. How could you have forgotten something so important?
Or maybe none of that stuff matters at all. We all forget things. We all complain about our first-world problems. It’s easy to get annoyed about the minor annoyances in life, like forgetting that poster or desk lamp. But it’s all so trivial. A trip to the store and a little spending money can remedy your forgetfulness any day.
College, like any other adventure, is less about what you bring with you and more about the things you experience and the people you meet. Maybe by asking around for that an extra Playstation controller, you’ll find your greatest rival at FIFA. Maybe by studying out in the lounge for a change, you’ll get to know that girl down the hall that you’ve never talked to. The real essence of college is immaterial. Don’t beat yourself up if you forget something that you think matters—or you might forget what really matters. You’re living out the best four years of your life. Time won’t stop for that missing flyswatter. Neither should you.
