It’s that time again for my monthly installment of Flashback Friday where I share events from my own life during my kid and teen years.

This installment is a diary entry during the summer after my senior year. The joy of graduation has passed and now it’s time to face the future. Thinking back on this now, I can see how overwhelmed I was — going from things and people I’ve known to a big unknown — college.

“My horoscope says that there is a big change coming up. Duh. I hope that this Fall brings good changes. I will make myself like dorm life. I mean I have to stay there! I have to go to class. I have to make friends. Things can only change for the better.

But then I have these moments. What if I don’t study hard enough and flunk out? That campus is HUGE, what if I get lost? What if my roommate is a total *&#$@ and I can’t get along with her? What if I don’t make any friends at all?

Okay. I have to relax, put my mind to rest. Positive. Okay. I feel better. God, Karen, you need to get a grip. From this point on, you’ve got to grow up. Mommie isn’t going to be there to pick up the pieces. It’s all on you now. Be strong — that is your last name you know.”

The first year of college was definitely a whirlwind experience. And in the end, I didn’t flunk out or get lost on the big scary campus. The roommate situation? Oh well, it could have been much worse (though slightly). But I did meet great friends that I still connect with to this day.

Back then in that month before college, I didn’t know how it would all turn out but I learned how to cope. This is what most teens do — they adapt and they cope because they are always on the brink of something new.