School starts back tomorrow at the University of Montevallo. For the first time in three years I will not be there. I have kind of gotten over my funk of not being back in school. First off I went to school every summer, I even started in the summer, so getting past the feeling of loss of not going back has already come and gone for me. Now don’t get me wrong, I am going to miss it like crazy tomorrow, but I have already gone through the initial trauma of no classes. I was fortunate to do a play this summer, so my feeling of “theatre being in my past” has been replaced with a feeling of possibilities for so many opportunities. I have also signed up for a book study so I will still be reading and studying this semester.
But seeing the posts about move in day and seeing the facebook pictures of everyone moving into their new apartments reminds me of the past three years, the good times and the bad. I don’t know that I could survive all of that again, but if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would try! I have friends to go back and see in plays and lunches to have with others. I feel like I have continued to travel to the vallo quite regularly and I guess that will continue until my close friends graduate in May. Then life will really change!
On the day of my graduation I told one of my friends who was also graduating that I wanted one last hug because I felt like I would never see him again. He assured me he was going to be around all summer and refused to even consider the fact that we would not see each other again. Well, I never saw him and I know my premonition was right. I imagine there will be a lot of that over the next couple of years. People I looked forward to seeing in class and loved working with, now graduating, moving away and never being there again. But the memories will be with me forever!
All I can say to all of you who are starting back to school tomorrow is give it your all. The real world isn’t like college. Sure there are lots of great things out here, but even though school is tough and there are bad sides to it, for the most part you are having some of the best times you will ever have! Savor them, the real world will be there quicker than you think and it will be there forever after! So have fun, do your absolute best, get involved in all that you can, but don’t forget to rest and study. Try your hardest and at some point during the week remember me- I will be thinking about you!
