Takin' Care of Business #8

So, this is a little something I wrote on facebook.com a few weeks ago about how I saw life going through graduate school. I've been keeping a sort of blog there too about my new adventures for my friends to keep up with me back at the undeegrad. I call my little notes "Life Lessons" because I like to see everyday situations as an educational component to my life. It is so worth it to wake up in the mornings when you know you learned something about life. This is an analogy, so bare with me. I was trying to make a point. Hope it makes sense to all of you who read this blog...I named this one "Life--> A Different type of Road Trip"


There comes a time in your life when you start to realize that dwelling on the past is making your present a bit gray. Gray is not a fun color. I should know. I'm going into Student Affairs as my career.

Gray means unknown.

Gray is a place where ideas are muddled and unclear and everything is just confusing and complicated....ah, gray...it's so fustrating and annoying.

It's like driving in a snow storm. You can't see what's 5 feet in front of you and you're in a hurry to get home where it's warm and secure, and as fast as you try to go, you know that for your safety you have to take it slow; and even then, it feels like your tires are getting stuck in mounds of snow and you hit the brakes just a little because you feel unsure and you just start skidding on some ice...and then [CRASH!] there was another car ahead of you.

OK, so I painted that story a bit grim...but knowing that winter is coming up sooner than later, I thought I should take a bit of time to tell you all to be safe on the road. Anyways, back to the car anology...

Sometimes we find oursleves hitting the cruise control button in life, and just sailing through things. You're comfortable with cruise control. You get to enjoy more things out of life when you're sailing, like there is enough time to savor every moment. And then you realize, that you have to hit the breaks every now and then because you're afraid you will miss your exit.

I was comfortable with cruise control. Being an undergraduate student...that was the life! Going to class, chilling with my roomies, or hanging out with my sorority sisters. It was smooth sailing. But because my exit was coming up soon, I had to get a bit serious and pay attention to my road signs.

Oh wait! I have a detour..."Going to graduate school".

So here I am on another road, making my way onto a new adventure in my life. And suddenly, cruise control won't work anymore. As much as I try to speed up through this strange street that I like to call "Present day", trying to find a new way is becoming gray. The car is low on gas and my wallet is empty. And I wonder "Should I turn around and drive back?"

But here I am...stuck in a field.
No help for miles.
Cell phone isn't picking up a signal.
GPS doesn't recognize the area.
So what's a girl to do?

I realized the other day, that life was one big road trip. I still have alot of road to cover ahead of me. And as much as I want to drive back to my cruise control scenario, where life was smooth sailing...I can't. You know, you learn to drive when you're young, you get in your first accident, or you get a flat tire, or you forgot to fill up the gas tank, or in my case you filled up but [forgot to screw the cap back on]...you learn form those mistakes. And you become a better driver. And as much planning that you may do, with the GPS and the road map...sometimes the GPS doesn't have all the current information on traffic (this is worse when the weather is bad and then you get no sattelite signal). And just maybe you're not experienced in reading road maps. Maybe you took the wrong turn.

The point is: make the most out of that trip. Enjoy the ride. Put the radio on. Sing at the top of your lungs (no one is around for miles to hear you). OK, so you may be deserted in a field, but then you have to realize you have the skills within you to move on and to get yourself out of there. All the things you learned on the roads behind you should have equipped you to get by to the nearest rest area.

In the end, the trip is always worth making because you will have learned something from those mishaps. And if you really want to get where you want to be, you can't go second guessing yourself and always be asking if you should turn around and drive back to cruise control. Time doesn't work like that. You can't go back in time. You can remember it, so you can learn from it for future reference. But you can't do it over.

So, I may not find an exit for a while. But I'm gonna keep going until I find the exit to get out of my detour.

Then I'll find another road to another destination, and maybe then...it might be a smooth ride afterall (maybe cruise control may work again, but if it doesn't I always have my foot to control the pedal...so it's just as good). Who knows? There might be a car stuck on the side of the road, and I can help them. Because you'll never know what little surprises you may find ahead. Maybe the person in the car who is stuck may turn out to be a very special person later on in the rest of your trip. Maybe because you helped them, they'll help someone else down the road. A pay it foward sort of deal.

For those of you stuck in a field...get back in the car...and keep going.

Oh hey! There's a sign...."Gas station 10 miles".

See? Something good was coming ahead.