As I write this, I have just taped up my last box and cracked open an ice cold hard cider as my reward. Staring at a room that looks recently ransacked, I start to think about the life I’ve had here.
Gainesville has been my home for the last five years. Four of those years were spent gaining a higher education, and the fifth was spent trying to figure out what to do with my life. Though I still don’t know all that the future holds, I don’t consider this last year to be a failure.
Quite the opposite, actually.
This past year has been a time for me to reflect upon a lot of things. I’ve learned more about who I am and who I want to be. I’ve said goodbye to some old friends and met new ones. I have found passion for things I never thought I’d care about. But the most important lesson I’ve learned this year is that no matter what the future holds for me, I am prepared because of what I’ve learned here in this small town.
Via: Time
On its surface, Gainesville is a small southern town in North Central Florida. It’s home to the Florida Gators and some of the most abysmal temperatures on record. It’s just a college town.
But knowing these facts about Gainesville doesn’t give you a glimpse into what I’m going to miss about it.
I’m going to miss being just a stone’s throw away from some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. If we hadn’t all made individual decisions come to this town, we never would have found each other. I never would have been able to create memories with these great people.
I will treasure those memories forever, especially the ones that were created while slap-happy and setting up for a basketball game at 3 a.m. after working 18 straight hours. #DomeLife
I’m going to miss driving a forklift carrying a cart full of rusted chairs down Stadium Road and passing confused frat boys who contemplate the logistics of a 20-something girl driving a forklift on a college campus.
I’m going to miss being able to call up friends on a Friday night and asking them to accompany me to a place where the music is too loud and we can get drunk to what tastes like watered-down battery acid — all for $1.50.
Via: Gatorzone
I’m going to miss witnessing the drunken camaraderie of “We are the Boys” and watching it bring together people from all walks of life.
I’m not going to miss the rush hour that seems to happen every time you need to go on one of the four main streets in town to get anywhere during the week.
But I’m going to miss Gainesville. Not enough to make me stay — but I will miss it.
Gainesville is a great little town, but I think I’ve gotten as much out of this place as it has gotten out of me. It’s where I honed my work ethic, and it’s where I truly discovered my passions. It’s where I learned to love myself and those around me, despite any conceived weaknesses or “bad qualities” that make others want to run screaming in the other direction.
Gainesville, for me, has been a transition place. A place where I have gone from being a teenager to a fully-fledged adult. A place where I grew, learned and changed. I don’t know what’s next for me, and I don’t know where that will take me, but I’m excited.
So, goodbye Gainesville.
It’s been real.
Feature photo courtesy of: Photobucket
