I am not a morning person.

There has never been a time in my life when I was overjoyed to be awake before 9 a.m. besides Christmas or leaving for a vacation.

Those are two extraordinarily large exceptions.

So, this leaves the question as to why many weekdays I was up at 6 a.m during college.

I learned the hard way, many times, that procrastination is unenjoyable.

If you leave a paper that’s due on Friday at midnight until Thursday afternoon to start, you will be scrambling at the early hours to finish it.

No amount of coffee, upbeat music, or your roommate texting you motivational phrases will make you grateful you waited to start.

This is one of the countless lessons I learned after a year in college.

I also learned 36 pairs of shoes are, perhaps, a pair or two too many, select things can catch fire in a microwave, the curb is closer than it appears and you should always double check if the street you are driving down is one way.

These lessons gave me wisdom and while I like to think as each year is tacked onto our age, wisdom is just simply gifted, this would be untrue.

I am not wiser now than last year because I am a year older, but because of what happened during that year.

The many mistakes I made are embarrassing.

I am thankful for every one of them though.

The reason that move-in day will not require every ancestor I know to help, is because we learn and grow from the instances that went wrong.

I am also living in a smaller space.

But, I still have accumulated lessons from my year in college that have already made the days before I leave run smoothly and will hopefully make my sophomore year have fewer hiccups too.

For one, no matter your age, your mom is usually, always right.

They were born knowing.

You should probably listen.

You most definitely should say yes to new experiences, opportunities, friends and organizations, but only so many “yesses,” or you will feel like a scrambled version of yourself.

There are many things vying to capture your attention and time in college and in life, but the most important will feel less like a burden and more like enjoyment.

A steamer on an iron is good for your clothes, but never hold the steamer anywhere near a fire alarm.

This was one mistake I learned from someone else. Water sprinklers are touchy in college dorms.

Dorms are your home away from home, so stuff it full of things that make you feel less homesick.

Just not too many things. It is the size of a cardboard box.

A failed attempt is better than no attempt and it is perfectly acceptable to change your mind.

I changed my major three times and this will be my third semester.

You can see the bad or the good and I’ve found people enjoy the presence of an optimist more.

There are plenty of age requirements for things in life, but there has never been one for kindness.

I’ve never gotten anywhere being mean.

Finally, college is short and life is even shorter. Enjoy where your feet are.

Even if your feet are up at 6 a.m.