“It was all so simple then.” You’ve all heard that phrase before, most often coming from your grandparents when they’re reminiscing about 15 cent Cokes and not needing a car to get to school. You certainly don’t expect to be uttering this phrase as a 20-something in college, right? But I have to say, it has entered my mind a time or two when thinking back to my childhood.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up will always be playing in my neighbor’s backyard with my siblings and some of the other neighborhood kids. We played everything imaginable: Capture the flag, football, tag, kick the can, sardines. On weekends we would organize night games and all convene in my neighbor’s backyard, because he had the most manicured lawn, amazing trees for climbing, a pool and a trampoline.

All I remember thinking about then was not getting caught in whatever game we happened to be playing and secretly hoping the neighbor boy would fall in love with me and kiss me in the moonlight. I was almost always the first to get caught when we played any kind of tag because I couldn’t climb the trees fast enough. (Okay, fine. I couldn’t climb trees at all.)

And no, the neighbor boy never kissed me in the moonlight either, although our lips bumped once when we were playing a game of football while he was tackling me and I didn’t shut up about it for weeks.

It’s true what they say: Life really was simpler then.

Of course why wouldn’t it be? We didn’t have credit card bills to worry about, car insurance to pay, research papers to write. Instead, we were transfixed with a wonder and appreciation for life.

I am still filled with wonder today when I see the Northern Lights or go and stay at my grandma’s camp and roast marshmallows with my family. But those moments of wonderment are now few and far between.

As college students, we get so caught up in being stressed that we forget to appreciate some of the best things in life that often have nothing to do with the things we are focusing most on. It’s great to strive hard to get good grades. It’s commendable to want to make a lot of money and do well for yourself. It’s even nice to go to the gym and become a healthy individual (or at least that’s what my trainer helps me to believe). But what about playing kick the can with your friends or daydreaming about kisses in the moonlight?

That part of our life should never really leave us, at least not completely. We all need to grow up at some point, because as great as Peter Pan had it, staying a child forever is simply too good to be true. But shouldn’t we, despite being grown-ups and having to construct a decent resume, also make time for the things that were once all we could think about?

Don’t just say to your best friend, “I would love to go frolic on the beach but this paper’s not going to write itself.” Actually go frolic on the beach. You’ll get your paper done, get into grad school and still have time to be a big success. All those things are important, but you should also make time to play catch, watch for shooting stars, run around in the rain and make slurpees out of snow.

What it comes down to is this: When you are 50, you might look back on your college days and wonder why you didn’t sleep on the beach in October with your friends more often. These college-days go by just as fast as childhood, so appreciate every time you climb a tree, jump into Lower Harbor at night in your underwear or fall in love, because those experiences will mean more to you than any number of zeros you will ever see on your future paychecks.