A constant state of nostalgia

Students head from campus dorms to Sorority Row for Rush Week.

Ah, the sights and sounds of the final days of summer …

… the Gator Band drumline practicing for football season.
… the crowded parking lots as parents drop their kids off at college.
… the annual pilgrimage of female students from the campus dorms to sorority row for Rush Week.
… the groups of students exploring campus, excited about their new independence.

Last week was the first week of classes on campus. The days before that were filled with students arriving and everyone preparing for a new school year.

As I walked into work, I was drawn to the many minivans and SUVs lined up across from Broward Hall, one of the many dorms on campus. I watched as parents unloaded their cars of suitcases, laundry baskets, TVs and computers.

And then I realized something. I’m the parent, not the child.

It wasn’t long ago that I would see this scene and immediately be transported back to the day when my parents dropped me off at UF. We checked in at Hume Hall, we unloaded the car, we unpacked my suitcase and made my bed. Then, my parents gave me a big hug and left.

But now, I am transported into the future — only a few short years — when I will be dropping off my daughter at college, helping her unpack and get settled and then, hugging her and driving away.

Instead of thinking of how I felt as I watched my parents drive away, I’m thinking of how my parents must have felt looking out the back window as they drove away. I’m thinking of how I will feel after hugging my daughter and getting in the car, leaving her to start the next phase of her life.

But while eight years is not so far away, it is far enough. We have several other life phases to live through with her before she goes to college.

Better not get to far ahead of myself. Time passes quickly enough without that.