25 years ago today, I graduated from college. The world was an infinite place of possibility...
Somewhere, deep down, I know it still is. I've got a lot more scar tissue now than I did then, but each and every day, there are still things to learn...
I find myself thinking about college a lot these days. Of course, Shannon's friends have made their choices and will be spreading out far and wide in the near future.
But, I'm thinking about it in terms of Erin, too. She has just 10 days left in her sophomore year of high school. And, once you are a high school junior, college begins to be a topic of conversation. Junior year is the time for tough classes, working for a good GPA and taking the ACT and SAT college entrance exams.
It goes so fast sometimes...
Erin and I went out and played a few holes together tonight after the afternoon rain. Her meet today got canceled due to thunderstorms, so we had a rare afternoon at home. Erin might have even snuck in a nap.
But after the rain cleared, we jumped on the golf cart and played the O'Hara loop. That's what we call the group of holes closest to our house... in gym shorts and bare feet, E and I each played two balls and worked on our swings while we talked and laughed. It's so easy being with Erin... I am going to miss her when she's gone...
But, wait! That time isn't here quite yet, even if I can begin to see it out on the horizon...
25 years ago when I finished my schooling, I certainly wasn't thinking about being a mom, and I had no idea where that journey would take me... I was definitely still wondering what I was going to be and who I was going to become... I'd like to think I have a little more clarity about that now, but I still don't have it all figured out.
The good news is, at 46, I'm OK with not having it all figured out. The 21 year old me couldn't possibly understand that.
That's the thing about life, you learn what you need to know as you go... and growing older is not such a bad thing...
"Do not regret growing older... it is a privilege denied to many..."
