The Real World

I remember very vividly, two days before high school graduation... 

I opened a text message... 

It was simple.

"Congratulations. Time to grow up now. The real world is hard. Good luck."

At the time, honestly, I thought it was kind of harsh. 

I thought something along the lines of ...

"Ouch. No 'Congratulations on your accomplishments, you'll do great things. You've worked hard!'"

Now, looking back, I'm grateful for the truth. I'm glad it wasn't sugar-coated or fluffed.

 "Time to grow up now."

I wouldn't remember it if it had been anything else.

After graduation, the next logical step was to go to college. It wasn't a conscious decision, just what seemed to be next on my life path.

I've come to realize that it should have been a conscious decision.

I should have wanted to go to college.

Now, where am I going with all of this?

Taking this "semester off" has been important for me. I have been in the working world. I have worked long, hard, seemingly endless hours and I have seen what my life is and what it could be. I have seen my paycheck disappear in a matter of minutes, and wonder how I'm going to make it for the next two weeks.

That being said, I still have no desire to go to college.

My entire view of college has changed. I no longer see it as something that I want to do.

I see it as something I need to do. 

Something I should do to make my life Better. Easier. Simpler.

I see myself in this rut of working long, hard hours, and constantly running myself ragged just trying to make ends meet. I don't like seeing myself that way, and I don't want life to be like this indefinitely.

I don't want to see myself needing a vacation from vacation because I'm so far behind on enjoying life that I spend my vacation time trying to pack every single little thing into it.

That's not who I am and not who I want to be... So yes, I'm going back to college.

I'm going to earn my four year degree. 

In what? 

Not sure.

What will I do with it? 

Not sure.

But I've come to realize that it doesn't matter...

Not right now, anyways. 

What matters is that I get back into school.

What matters is that I don't let anything get in the way of my success, and my future.

So, I did it. 

I signed back up for school.

Effective January 6, 2014, I get to call myself a student again.