Good Old Days

Source: Picture from Reddit.com, Adapted from NBC Universal

“I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.” - Andy Bernard

Unlike Andy, I realized during my time at college that I actually was in the good old days. Nonetheless, I love this quote and I want to explain how it relates to moving on from the things we cherish the most.

If you’ve watched the finale of “The Office”, you know this is the moment where Andy Bernard drops the line that leaves fans in a deep emotional state of sadness, bittersweetness, and most importantly reminiscence. “The Office” is an incredible TV show filled with humor, deeply-formed relationships, and unique characters that are like none other. When I first watched “The Office”, I thought it was a terrible TV show. I didn’t think it was funny and I thought it was extremely overrated. But one of my friends told me I was looking at it all wrong. He told me to go back and rewatch the show as a story that develops and entices you along the way, and not as a simple show with no heartfelt meaning. I was reluctant and always seemed to find an excuse as to not watch it. But I decided to try it out one day and it was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

The reason I enjoyed “The Office” was not so much for it’s humor, although it was extremely amusing. “The Office” took the viewer through 9 seasons of laughter & tears as well as moments of joy & sorrow. Characters developed, changed, and matured and relationships ended while new ones were pursued. Most importantly it told a story with larger life themes, even in the monotonous and dull setting of The Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Our years in life are much like “The Office” in that things that progress through time must come to an end. For me this is my college graduation and I cannot begin to describe the emotions that have hit me as I walk across the stage in a week. As I begin to go forth in the next stage of my life, I prepare to look back on the times that I have had. I’ve realized that the places we hold dearest in our hearts are because of the people we come to know and love. We can move away from the places we’ve encountered but we can always stay in touch with the people who made that place worthwhile. People create the memories that are the good old days.

But soon the good old days for me must come to an end. I will go forth on a new venture, a new journey, and a new beginning while still holding close the people that provided light in my life. My new adventures are distinct from my college years in that I am confident they will consist of excitement and opportunity. But I will always remember that my college years were unique and one of a kind.

Nonetheless, when we go forth and step out into the new frontier that awaits us, let us not forget that even in the mundane and ordinary parts of life, it is the people who create the lasting perceptions of the places we travel to. Grow close to the people who will love you for your authentic self, for the people involved in your life will leave you with memories that really are the good old days.