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Once, Always

Writer's picture: Kara ChathamKara Chatham

This weekend my Facebook news feed has been packed with Southerners band camp pictures and end of summer pictures. It's brought many different memories to mind. But the one thing that both groups share is this idea of "Once, Always". It is a phrase that is said all over my Alma Mater's campus - Once a Gamecock, Always a Gamecock or Once a Southerner, Always a Southerner.


Credit: Joanna Thompson

So what does this mean exactly? Why do two words - once and always - mean so much? I think that it makes people feel like they belong somewhere. And it's not like this phrase is exclusive to my university or the last band I marched for. People use this for practically everything. Anything that someone is a part of, where community is found and a family is made, this phrase is used.

I think it goes deeper than showing an established community. There is something that connects with us that makes it more a part of who we are as individuals. There are certain characteristics or lessons that we learned while being a part of said community that have become a part of who we are as individuals.

Does this make us the same as everyone who has come through this community? No. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. We are still unique in our own right. But different experiences help create who we are. We are not just one thing. We are a multitude of things. Everything has made an impact on the person you are today, whether you believe it or not.

So what are your "Once, Always"'s? I bet you have more than you think.

Until next time...

Kara

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