Winds of Change

Around this time, if you live in a university town, everything starts changing. People are going home for the summer, some people are graduating and leaving permanently and still others are are swaying in the balance between going home and being stuck for summer courses. For example, Ashley is moving into a new house as I write this and the guys in the second half of our house moved out for good yesterday. (We get new house mates tomorrow).
When you walk down the streets, whether they are quiet residental streets with expansive lawns, or busier main drags with tall apartments and concrete drives, there is unwanted, used furniture lining the sidewalks. Old couches, not-so-gently loved chairs, kitchen tables and bed frames huddle together in hopes of someone rescuing them from their impending doom. It's interesting to walk by and scan the jumbles of belongings-they seem to tell a story of a life they had lived with very interesting people. My roommates and I aren't moving out any time soon, but I wonder what our couch would say if it could talk? Would people see the rip in the cushion and chalk it up to drunken Tom-foolery by university students, or will they know it was from 2 cats and 1 dog using it as their trampalene?
It's not just the appearance of the town that changes too. The flow of traffic seems to slow down and I am positive there are less vehicles on the roads. The university campus is quiet and peaceful-you can actually find somewhere to sit outside on the picnic tables, or in the concourse-which is the hub of activity during the school year. People are just more at ease, regardless if they are taking courses or not. They're just happier. Maybe it's the good weather, or maybe it's just more friendly because there are less people and you can get to know them better.
In a way it's kind of sad, watching everyone packing up and moving on. It means another yearis over and I'm one step closer to leaving this place. On the other hand, it's a happy time because it's the start of new adventures that you will get to laugh and talk about when everyone gets back together in the fall.