How To Live Like It’s The ‘Good Old Days’ Today And Everyday



If you’ve ever found yourself holding back tears in the final episode of The Office you’ll remember Andy saying to the camera, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you actually left them.” 
There is.



I am 20 years old and entering my third year of college. I have 700 things on my mind at any given time; yet I know that I will never be more carefree than I am at this very moment. At this very moment I am the youngest I will ever be again, and I’m milking every second of it.

Before we know it yesterday and today will just be memories we tell our kids about. We’ll tell them our too close run in with the cops, our first apartment party that we accidentally invited 200 people to.

We’ll tell them how awkward we were on our first date and how our roommates turned into our best friends. 

Here’s how to keep in mind we’re here and alive in the “good old days.”



Take a few pictures, and then put the camera down


There is nothing like a 400 second long Snapchat story because how much fun were you really having if your phone never left your eyes. I am all about the pictures ( Thanks for the memories, @Instagram ) but no picture will ever grasp you truly living in the moment, and those are when the best memories are made. 



Slow down


7 am alarm. Shower. Class. Gym. Work. Dinner. Library. Sleep. Repeat. 
Busy schedules can consume your life, you fly through a week and realize you just spent the last 5 days as a robot. Do yourself a favor and live every single day differently. Take the scenic way home from class and enjoy a moment watching little kids feed the ducks. Without doing this I can easily say I would have gone legally insane by now. Close your ears Mom, but some days I do skip the library.



Do nice things for people who can’t repay you


It’s shocking how caught off guard people get when a stranger is nice to them. Starbucks during Finals Week a zombie looking freshman behind me either just failed an exam or lost her life savings. I bought the gal her venti caramel latte and she looked like I just sewed her life back up together. Hopefully she took a swing by the duck pond later. 



I could go on, but I know I am in the good old days. I don’t know what job I’ll be getting out of college, I don’t know what my final GPA is yet, I don’t know pretty much anything about my life but here is what I do know: 
I know I am young and more carefree than I ever will be, I know I don’t have to worry about my 401K yet (whatever that is), I know I don’t have to check if my dentist takes my life insurance.

I know that I live with my best friends and we blast music until our neighbors yell at us and spend way too much money on breakfast sandwiches. I know one day I will look back on my “busiest” college days and wish my biggest worry was working a few extra hours for beer money. 

Time is ticking; start realizing you’re in the good old days before you left them.