"Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."
My diploma came in the mail today. I walked in the door after work and was surprised to see it waiting for me in the stack of mail by the front door. The parcel stood out among the various credit card solicitations and bills. I was amazed that the university had taken to sending it out so quickly but then figured there had to be far less people graduating in December than in May.
I opened it carefully and removed the thin piece of paper from the package. Held between my two fingers was a piece of paper worth over $40,000. My name was spelled correctly and underneath it was listed "Bachelor of Fine Arts" and under that, very tiny gold lettering formed the words "summa cum laude".
After allowing my parents to gush over it for a few minutes (I am the first child to earn a degree), I placed it back inside the cardboard and brought it upstairs to my room. I set it down next to my bed, making a mental note to have it framed this weekend before the dog pees on it or I spill something on it. I changed quickly, pulling off my pinstripe pants and pulling on jeans, knowing I had just a few minutes to spare before I had to leave to teach a piano lesson. I threw the dressy clothes in a pile on the floor and went in to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
After that, I splashed some water on my face and thought of that piece of paper and all of the hard work I'd done to achieve it. I thought of the stress of 15 page research papers, the aches of four dance classes in a row and the amount of money I have taken out in loans that will demand to be paid back in just a few months. I thought of the cold of Buffalo, of the relationships found there and how I had driven away from that place two months ago and never looked back.
I've been uneasy wondering if my life will ever fall into place. I stress daily about money and insecurity and if I'm on the right path. I'm beginning to learn there is no "right" path--we just go down the one we think we want to and if it doesn't work out, we hop over to a different trail. At least...that's my plan.
I looked in the mirror as water dripped from my chin. A college graduate. It will take me an eternity to put into words all that I have learned in the past three and a half years. I let the drops fall into the sink and I smiled as I realized the feeling that had been stuck with me since I opened that important piece of mail. For a full several minutes, I had been proud of myself.
I grabbed a towel to pat my face, threw it on the bathroom counter and ran out of the house.
Peace.
I opened it carefully and removed the thin piece of paper from the package. Held between my two fingers was a piece of paper worth over $40,000. My name was spelled correctly and underneath it was listed "Bachelor of Fine Arts" and under that, very tiny gold lettering formed the words "summa cum laude".
After allowing my parents to gush over it for a few minutes (I am the first child to earn a degree), I placed it back inside the cardboard and brought it upstairs to my room. I set it down next to my bed, making a mental note to have it framed this weekend before the dog pees on it or I spill something on it. I changed quickly, pulling off my pinstripe pants and pulling on jeans, knowing I had just a few minutes to spare before I had to leave to teach a piano lesson. I threw the dressy clothes in a pile on the floor and went in to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
After that, I splashed some water on my face and thought of that piece of paper and all of the hard work I'd done to achieve it. I thought of the stress of 15 page research papers, the aches of four dance classes in a row and the amount of money I have taken out in loans that will demand to be paid back in just a few months. I thought of the cold of Buffalo, of the relationships found there and how I had driven away from that place two months ago and never looked back.
I've been uneasy wondering if my life will ever fall into place. I stress daily about money and insecurity and if I'm on the right path. I'm beginning to learn there is no "right" path--we just go down the one we think we want to and if it doesn't work out, we hop over to a different trail. At least...that's my plan.
I looked in the mirror as water dripped from my chin. A college graduate. It will take me an eternity to put into words all that I have learned in the past three and a half years. I let the drops fall into the sink and I smiled as I realized the feeling that had been stuck with me since I opened that important piece of mail. For a full several minutes, I had been proud of myself.
I grabbed a towel to pat my face, threw it on the bathroom counter and ran out of the house.
Peace.
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