Ferris Bueller once said “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Bueller was so right.

Am I the only one who thinks this semester flew by?

Yes, I know everyone says that this time of year, but I really mean it.

As a senior about to graduate in 21 days (including weekends) I’m starting to enter freakout mode.

In 21 days I will walk across the stage in my blue cap and gown to get a piece of paper that I’ve been studying, preparing and working my ass off to get for the past five years.

Five years is a long time to be waiting for something.

Especially something that dictates what you will do for the rest of your life.

For the past five years I’ve been taking my designated classes, working part-time to pay the bills and logging countless hours in different RSO’s on campus to make my resume pretty.

Somewhere in the middle of all that I got lost.

I got lost in the hustle and bustle of the college life.

I got lost in the race to be the best whether it be for my job, a position in my RSO’s or for getting the top grade in the class.

Imagine Alice being lost in Wonderland trying to figure out what is going on and who these peculiar people are.

That’s me. I’m Alice. But instead of being lost for one day, I was lost for five years.

On Monday a professor asked me how I felt about graduation in less than a month.

I stared at him and just started laughing.

Why? Because I had my ‘a-ha!’ moment. The moment when it all sinks in and you do one of two things: 1) laugh or 2) cry.

I chose to laugh because I knew if I started crying, I wouldn’t stop.

During my hysterical outburst I realized I’m going to graduate.

I’ve done the work and I will reap the benefits.

I immediately did what most students have already done this month: checked my grades to see what I needed to get on the final to pass the class with an acceptable grade.

After figuring that out, I sat down and thought about Bueller.

He was right.

Life is flying by. 21 days seems like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not.

I’ve got 21 days to make the most of my time left at Eastern.

I still have a few projects to turn in, but after that I’m moving on to marking things off of my bucket list like finishing a barcrawl and (finally) getting a picture on the Marty’s panther with my girls.

I’m going to pull a Bueller and stop to look around for a little bit.

I’ve done my time at EIU.

Now it’s my time to be present and go with the flow.

Cayla Maurer is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or ccmaurer@eiu.edu.