Back to School

In ten days time, I will once again embark upon my journey in that great institution known as University. For two years now, it has claimed me, and Yah willing, it shall again for just two more. I’ve got my textbooks, my notebooks, and all my classes figured out. Now I’m just waiting . . . and hoping and wondering what’s in store for me.

I know I will laugh. And cry. And embarrass myself multiple times. I will awake from nightmares about finals week . . . or spending my last dollar-fifty at a broken snack machine only to find it working for the next guy. I will deprive myself of sleep, nutrition, and sometimes even a morning shower. I will panic. I will gain 5 pounds. I will feel the like world is truly falling apart this time.

But I will also smile, until I look goofy—and I will eat my lunch outside on the lawn. I will root for the home team and, win or lose, buy myself an ice cream cone. I will get A’s, B’s, and some . . . other letters. I will watch the leaves turn orange. I will solve differential equations and forget how to add fractions. I will stay up ‘til midnight, nodding to Phil Wickham and muttering over my homework. I will lose 5 pounds. I’ll give an incredibly intelligent answer in class . . . at least once . . . in my life. I will finish a paper 15 minutes before it’s due and celebrate by procrastinating on the next one. I will abstain from coffee. And I will be that awesome college girl who’s dreaming big and working hard, putting (almost) everything she’s got into earning a big, white and shining piece of paper.

And then it’ll be over. No more deadlines. No more cram, rush, empty, repeat. No more missing my breakfast or falling asleep on the bus or stressing about an upcoming exam at work. 

Yet, even with all that, I'm extremely excited to start this semester. I like pushing the limit and working as hard as I can. I like solving crazy math problems and learning how things like electricity works. I love joking around with my classmates and earning the approval of my professors. I've grown so much while in college. Looking back, I can say that I'm a different person than when I started--more confident, a little bit wiser--and I still have two more years to go. So for a nerdy homeschooled kid, I'd say that was "not too shabby."