Here I go again

The past few weeks I have been moving furniture into the house I'm leasing for the following school year. It has been exciting for the following reason: I am once again on my own. I never realized how much differently I viewed myself, and even the world, when I can be on my own. That is, I didn't realize it until I gave my independence up again when I returned to dorm life last year. During this past year I've come to realize that I hate dorm life, hate it with a passion. I didn't like it freshman year, and fled from it sophomore year, but thought I could handle it if I gave it another try. Wrong.




The reason I don't like dorm life is the same reason I never liked camp. While coordinators and various authorities deny it, I really am on a leash when I live in the dorms. I'm told when to be back, I'm told when I can leave (which happens to be 12am weeknights and 5am weekmornings...slight difference during the weekend). I can not own certain appliances such as things that would burn the dorm down (electric grills, etc.), things that would be too big (like a full-size refrigerator), or things that would be reasonable (like a television).



Regardless, I'm back on my own. The day I got my letter allowing me off campus I drove around looking at the world in a whole new light. It was once again an ocean of opportunity, once again full of hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Before it had been fairly dismal and dull...even mind-numbingly irritating. As the Tick (whose show is on again on toon disney ...you can't see it but I winked at you right now) would say "Sometimes you just have to do something but keep your mind somewhere else as you try to convince yourself that 'this just isn't happening right now.'"



At my new house there's a big weeping willow in the front yard. I plan on many an evening taking a coffee/tea break under there and just watching the world go by as I listen to birds (which we have a lot of) play and sing. I really didn't have that opportunity living on campus because I had no sanctuary to call my own. (No criticism of the school, just the way things were vs. the way I am.)



Regardless, I'm excited. Life looks good. I never really thought about it until recently, but there's going to be a life after college. I'm still going to be young, in my twenties, experiencing new things and climbing new mountains. I look forward to that because I'm tired of school. Being able to live off campus will help immensely in getting me through to the other side of graduation...which is really where I want to be. However, I've lived long enough to know that I'm a fool if I overlook the time I have now. Therefore, carpe diem...or as is often my case...carpe notche.