Here it is — a traditional “end-of-the-year and I’m graduating column.” I’ve been waiting four years to write this, and now I don’t know where to begin.

I guess I could start out by stating that graduation has proven to be the most stressful time of my college career. In a short couple of days I’ll be homeless and, after August 8, I’ll be jobless.

My computer disk with my resume on it keeps crashing, my car is making that funny little noise that just doesn’t seem to go away, and my wisdom tooth (which was removed almost two weeks ago) still hurts, and I have no more codeine. The list of sudden life disasters seems to get longer every day.

Yet, I can’t help but laugh.

Some days I act like it’s the end of the world. Some days I act like I’m the only person who has ever gone through this point in their lives.

Every time my emotions get out of control, I reassure myself that if I can have my luggage lost (during the only time I didn’t bring a carry-on) at the international airport in Amsterdam and manage to keep my calm while in search of an English-speaking person, I can survive this.

But reassurances aren’t always reassuring, and it seems that for every day that I’m calm, I’m up all night wondering how in the hell I’m going to live through this change. It was just four short years ago that I signed my financial life away at my loan interview, and now I’ve found myself being recruited by the Army during the exit interview.

Change — I hate it. I hate it more than people who pick the underwear out of their butt in public.

I remember my freshman year. I thought it was one of the best years of my life; I had great friends, went to drunken parties all of the time and didn’t have a job. I was living the good life, and it’s obvious why I didn’t want sophomore year to roll around.

But it did, and in the end, I was glad. I found that those “great friends” weren’t so great at all. I discovered that you can have fun sober, and I met two of the people who have stuck with me for the last three years.

This little trend of “year-ends-and-Heather-gets-sad” continues. Sad when things change for the summer; happy when everything is like clock-work during the year.

But this summer was the most dreaded summer of my life. How could everyone leave me during my last semester here?

Luckily, some people taught me that change can be good and shouldn’t be feared. In some cases, it’s even for the best.

For example, one day I was feeling blah with my image in the mirror, and my neighbor colored my hair and showed me that a change in appearance can make you feel new and rejuvenated.

One of my closest friends moved to New York City for the summer and proved to me that you can go far away but become even closer.

And my best friend reminded me that life goes far beyond my own boundaries and, sometimes, even involves other people. He also showed me that life is full of grilled pickles and peach lemonade if you give it a chance.

I’ll miss my life at ISU. I’ll miss my friends, I’ll miss the campus on a warm April day, I’ll miss the stench of Lake Latrine, I’ll miss free internet access and I’ll miss bundling up for the dreaded hike through Siberia during winter.

No one can stay forever (except for “career students”), and life is bound to keep changing.

I’ll eventually find a job and a place to live. I have up to 25 years to pay off my financial aid loans, and tickets to Europe are becoming cheaper every day.

As for the rest of you, your day of panic is coming, but don’t fear — you don’t have to know Dutch to survive graduation.

Just have faith and welcome change.

I hope you all discover your own grilled pickle.

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Heather McClure is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Harlan.