As a college student nearing the end of another year, I have not had many moments free of worry or anxiety for quite awhile. Projects and papers bombard my life. Every day, I review in my head what needs to get done. The list is never-ending, or so it seems.

Many times I’ve sat down on my futon or classroom chair and realized that my stomach isn’t moving. I’m so tense that I’m not breathing properly. Worrying has always been a problem of mine, but it has especially escalated this past year, as I have been planning out the future and completing an 18-credit workload.

On arriving to campus for spring semester, I established a tunnel vision mindset. I wanted to be done with school. But even with the added stress and senioritis, this has been the best year of my life. It may sound cliché, but it’s true. My worry-filled moments are spent with someone who gets me. I’ll be lucky to find someone like that again.

I follow her like a duckling to class. Seriously, she walks so fast that I can’t keep up. She sits on the futon next to me every night. We laugh together about worthless things. We eat together. We work on the student newspaper together. We sleep in the same room. We both major in journalism. And all of our classes are the same. Surprisingly, we haven’t thrown anything at each other. Actually, I’m rather shocked.

The person I’m referring to is Renee, my roommate of three years. I’ll admit that I’ve grown attached to her, but getting to that point has been rocky. She’s an early bird and I’m not. I procrastinate and she doesn’t. But we’ve made compromises and developed a sense of respect.

How we ended up together is rather funny. I distinctly remember when we met. She was sitting across the room at orientation the spring before our freshman year. I thought to myself “she looks like a nice person.” So I walked up to her and we hit it off. A few days later, I called up Northwestern College requesting her as my roommate. A faculty member informed her of my inquiry and she agreed. Who knew that it would turn into something truly extraordinary? I sure didn’t.

Without her, Northwestern College wouldn’t be Northwestern College. And I’m not just saying that for effect. The days are dwindling and I anticipate relaxing in the summer sun. But when that final day of school approaches, the adrenaline will deplete and sadness will sink in.

During my newspaper internship this fall, I won’t have that goofball next to me to listen to a ranting session or give a sarcastic smile to. Lately, instead of telling myself that time is almost up, I find myself wishing that school wouldn’t end. I also repeatedly tell myself to stop worrying. It doesn’t seem to work, but I have Renee by my side. That eases my worries.

It’s a safe bet that your to-do list, like mine, is long. But I’ve been learning that worry doesn’t produce anything positive. In fact, the next time you get the chance, walk outside and look up at the stars. The world is spinning just as it should — whether you worry about it or not.

I so easily get wrapped up in my own little universe that I forget the important things. Treasuring what and who you have is easier said than done. But when you succeed, you’ll find that the worries will fade, at least for a little while, if you let them.