Starting Over with a Blank Campus

It never goes away. It's irrational, embarrassing, laughable. Every 'back-to-school' season, I'm that retired horse who used to pull the firetruck. When the bell rings, I'm ready to go. I have 'back-to-school fever.' (I hear my lovely mother-in-law laughing out loud. She taught grade school. When she hears a school bell she runs in the other direction!)

I'm talking about college here. Being in college was awesome. One could gather and discuss issues with intelligent people who had wildly divergent points of view. There were visiting speakers, special events, concerts, sports (play or watch), dances, clubs, rallies, or just chillin' at the student union. Whatever you wanted was right there on-campus.

One learns how to be on one's own, but with safety nets. In the dorm I just had to worry about classes, and managing a schedule. Out of a dorm and into a co-op I learned that bathrooms and kitchens don't clean themselves. In off-campus apartments, I learned 'Ramen Noodle 101' and the importance of rent, utility payments, and location.

Even more important was that you got a new, fresh start every year. You met a whole new batch of people, went to all new classes in your economically-updated wardrobe. You had new books, new challenges, a new place to live. There was an inexhaustible supply of kids your own age to play with, all renewable yearly.

That's something you really miss once you're out of school. It's like you got to play musical chairs for 4 years, and the music suddenly stopped. Whatever chair you landed in, get used to it, because you can't change it next semester. It's someone else's turn now. If you do change chairs, you have to find another chair yourself, and provide your own music.

Do I want a fun new year of independence, new friends, new areas to explore, and new opportunities? Yes! But college only provides that when you're about 19, so if I want my own back-to-school moment, I'll have to create it myself. I should go buy some office supplies, add some economical updates to my wardrobe, do something different with the house, and find someplace new to hang out.

Being 19 is overrated anyway. Too much angst and uncertainty. Now that I'm older and wiser, I hope I can convert my back-to-school energy into something more tangible. Like maybe learning a language, writing a book, doing some artwork. You know... that stuff I should have been doing in college!