A Life that Changes

Every day this week when I walked to work, the streets were, by and large, empty.  A few of these days I was running later than usual.  Most of these days it was raining.  The majority of the student body was in finals so I imagined they were all holed up in their homes or in the library.

Today, the weather was warm(er) and the sky was clear(er).  The streets were still empty.  As I walked up towards the dorms, I really noticed how empty it all felt.  And then it occurred to me that finals were almost over.  Most of the students have probably finished and packed up their things and left.  

I mean, I have seen the cars packed to the roof with stuff and people crammed inside along with it.  (I am usually reminded of a clown car and can't help but chuckle imagining those cramped conditions on a three hour car ride back up to northern Virginia)  

There I was, walking the way I have been walking to work for the past several months and realizing that for the first time, there are no students.  Soon, the cafeterias will close, the dorms will be all locked up.  

But I will remain, walking the long forty minute trek to work.  I looked at the grounds around me with new eyes - the glories of this walk during summer will be mine alone to enjoy.  

In an interesting twist, I next walked past a girl who was wearing a 2015 t-shirt and calculated how old she was and what year in school she was.  All of these freshman that I've been walking past every day are the class of 2016.  The new class that comes in the fall will be the class of 2017.  How many classes of students have passed through the grounds of UVa in my time here?  

That girl though, the one who is a second year and those freshman I see every day as well as the incoming freshman this year - I will not be here to experience their graduation.  I will be gone, off to somewhere else.  Soon, I will not be the person left behind.  Soon, I will be the person who moves on.  

Time moves ever forward.  Life goes ever on.