I have been classified as a student since I was four years old and in kindergarten. I made myself at home, snuggled under the title of student. When you take the time to stop and think about your years as a student, a lot happened over your years as a student.
When I was about seven, I began to lose my baby teeth. I grew adult teeth in their place. When I entered the fifth grade, I went from a primary student to a junior student. Around that time, I got braces on my top and bottom. I went on to become a teenager and a high school student. And those are just a few of the many things every kid goes through.
I was already a daughter and a sister when I started elementary school. I was a cousin, a niece and a granddaughter. The moment I stepped into the classroom, I was a student. I made friends among my classmates and around my neighbourhood. In high school, I became a student employee. After my first year of university, I became a sister-in-law. I am the Auntie of one about to be two and am about to gain another sister-in-law.
After my first year of university, I thought that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I would finally be done school. I could not weight to be done and experience a life free of essays and pesky due dates. Life intervened and my degree took far longer than expected. I made it to the end of the tunnel.
I finished school, went to convocation and now what? The dreaded question of now what? My years as a student are now behind me. My friends and family were all so proud of me. Still, there was this question in my mind of what I would do with myself now that I am finished with school. Finishing school was always the ultimate goal. Sure, I had a few things I wanted to do, but nothing was really set in stone.
For the first little while I slept in, and caught up on books I had started long, ago, but never finished. Just last week, I read a magazine cover to cover. I rarely had time to do that when I had course on the go. I am slowly reading ‘The Book of Awesome’. I love the title and the pages inside are even better.
As I ponder what to do next in my life, I wonder if there is a definitive right answer. When I was in high school, I had my life planned out. I always liked having a plan. My life has changed and so have my plans. I have tried to alter my plans for the future as I go, but in the back of my mind, I still thought that, there was a remote possibility that, I would take the child life course and become a child life specialist.
I need to put myself out there and take a risk. I need to apply to volunteer at a nearby children’s hospital. I have to move past my fear of rejection and trust that there is a place for me to volunteer. I know that hospital, like the back of my hand. I also know that there are people there who will look out for me, not because they have to, but because they want me to succeed.
It is an odd feeling to have the title of student taken away, when you have held onto it for so long.
I know what I need to do; now I just have to follow through with my plan.
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