You can be better than you are, you could be swingin' on a star

"It is in all of us to defy expectations, to go into the world and to be brave.  To want, to need, to hunger for adventures.  To embrace change and chance and risk so that we may breathe and know what it is to be free."

Graduation is next Saturday.  I haven't had much of a chance to think about the actual graduation part.  Between working over 40 hours per week, telling my family to hurry up and arrive, packing and moving out of two houses and into zero houses, planning a road trip, and running, I've almost forgotten that graduation is actually coming up.  

To me, graduation means a lot of things.  It's one last chance to be an undergrad.  I get to see the people I went to school with before our roads take us in different directions.  I'll have a B.S. and, well, that's kinda fun!  It will finally be time to put the final piece in the college puzzle and see the hard work and effort to understand the entire picture. 

Lately I've learned the popular question when graduation is coming up is "are you going to go back to school?"  I've also learned to think about my response in my head before blurting out "going back?  I'm not even out yet!  I don't want to go back to school. I want to work."  Sure, it would be great to have a Master of Public Health.  While I'm at it, I've heard Harvard has a decent program.  I think I'll give that a whirl.  The thing is, I do not want to go back to school (...yet).  Can I tell you why before you shake your head thinking that my potential goes beyond an entry-level health education job?  Okay, I'm guessing you aren't doing that...but it's not like I'm pulling these experiences out of nowhere!  I have been to five schools in my life.  Make that six, if you count Learning Tree preschool (where my premature knowledge of needle nose pliers far out shined the others).  So...five schools...sure, whatever.  Who cares?   I mainly care about the last three.   Attending three different schools in one's undergrad career can take a serious toll on one's mental health.  I mean, all of those transcripts, applications, orientations, credits, and teachers add up.  Here's the thing.  Sometimes it takes me a few tries to find the best fit.  For my mental health and happiness.  Speaking of health, that was the one consistent factor in my college career.  I knew I had to be in the health field.  Since I didn't want to be a nurse, and since I suck at anatomy, I picked Community Health.  Technically, Community Health picked me (and 17 other health lovers like me).  Even still, health is my best fit.  Thankfully, that is one constant.  

So when I think about not having to prepare for school in the fall, I sigh with exhaustion and relief.  I know my best fit will be working for awhile.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll miss buying textbooks and writing in a fresh planner and spending 70% of the day studying.  Until that time, I will enjoy graduation and not look too far ahead, because let's face it...four years ago I never thought I'd be here.  I was just hoping to graduate someday...

       Best,
               Anne