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Mari Katherine Raftopoulos

Mari Katherine Raftopoulos' column appears in the Craig Daily Pressand the Saturday Morning Press.

Craig — As a freshman, college seems endless, as if there is no deadline, and because of this an event or a goal is put off because there is four more years to complete.

So, oftentimes freshmen say, 'I'll do it next year."

And the routine continues as the years in college pass by. With each year that passes, we college students continue to procrastinate, not only on schoolwork, but also various opportunities because it seems as though they will be around next year.

Then comes senior year, where the idea of college ending becomes a reality and there is no longer time to say "one more year" because if you do, you might miss out on what is right before you.

They say that college is the best four years of your life. I'm convinced that it is. I'm not saying that nothing will ever compare to college; I'm saying that there are no other consecutive four years in life where you can be as selfishly free and open.

Free of commitments.

Free of routine.

Free of finances.

And free of judgment.

Seniors often create a "bucket list," or a list of things they want to accomplish, do, or see before they graduate.

Those same people, like the roommates in my house, adorn their fridges, mirrors and rooms with lists such as these so that when life has us making serious to-do lists, we never forget our bucket lists. They remind us that time is dwindling in college.

Our bucket list contains goals such as kayaking at sunset in La Jolla, having a picnic on every lush piece of grass on campus, applying to graduate schools out of our comfort zones, and walking to the beach every day and sitting for at least 5 minutes.

Some goals may seem very simple, thoughtless and meaningless to write down. As if when we write "sit on the beach," we are writing something as equivalent as "brush my teeth."

But, as much as enjoying the beach may seem as natural as brushing your teeth, oftentimes it gets left behind with the hustle and bustle of life.

Last week, I returned home from a three-week vacation in Greece, and instead of returning home, I made a connecting flight to San Diego where I am scheduled to remain for a year to finish school. I missed the first week of class for a once in a lifetime opportunity with my father and brother to explore our homeland. I booked the ticket out of instinct and never looked back.

On my return, most of my friends and colleagues commented that they would never make such a spontaneous decision. I came back with gold jewelry adorning my ankles and wrists, fresh oregano and bay leaves grown from my aunt's garden stuffed in my bag and a different perspective.

From my bedroom, I can watch the waves crash in. And as surreal as this image is, it is just an image, just a thing, if I don't take advantage of the beauty of it. And sometimes it takes writing it down, as we have done this senior year on a list, to never forget to enjoy it on a daily basis.

And from here the options are endless - the next connecting flight may be back home, to the east coast, or never be booked at all, and I might just remain in San Diego.

But, from my travels in Greece, I have taken a major idea away and incorporated it into my American lifestyle.

That's the idea that no other time in my life will I be able to live with six girls. No other time in my life will people from numerous states around the country that are my best friends and not strangers surround me. Also, no other time in my life will Thursday be considered a Friday night.

It's not that these options do not exist after college, but more so that these practices are normalized in college and considered right. Where as after one is shunned for doing them, during college one is shunned for not doing them.

With that being said, there is nothing similar to college in life. And realizing this was my first goal on my bucket list, and also the first one crossed off.