This is it. I made it. Finals are done, and I am eagerly awaiting my grades. Unless my estimations regarding my performance this semester prove seriously off-target, I'm all done. Gradgeee-ated. Wow. I had thought that with my years of work experience, and the countless friends I've watched graduate only to be disappointed that their lives weren't drastically altered (more money, job offers rolling in) by a college degree, that I was sufficiently jaded and would feel nothing at the close of my undergrad career. How silly of me. Of course after twelve years of "I'm almost done," and "I should be able to graduate in two semesters," or "Maybe I'll change my major to (insert field, I've considered them all)," there's going to be some emotion involved. Mostly elation. I had to celebrate after I finished my final by stopping for a celebratory beverage on my way home (at a liquor store, saved for later, of course - I could never get by with drinking during the day with all the kids I have). I couldn't even decide what to buy. I stuck with a six-pack of beer, because it's easy. Wine or bourbon are equally welcome as graduation gifts, though, in case anyone's wondering. :)
Tonight I'm able to follow through with my plans (or non-plans) that I was too tired to carry out last night.
1. Drink aforementioned beer. I'm on my second one now, and that will about do it for me. I hope it
doesn't show in the writing; please forgive me if I ramble even more than usual.
2. Engage in completely meaningless/mindless web activities for undetermined amount of time. Done. I
spent at least a half an hour watching rap videos from the 90s on youtube.
3. Do some online Christmas shopping, since I've put off much of this until after my classes were all done.
4. Make a final post to this blog.
Now that I've done the first three, I can complete what feels like the final assignment to obtain my undergraduate degree. This project has allowed me to reflect upon my long college career, what I have accomplished, what I feel good about. I don't know how many times in the last couple of months I have uttered the phrase, "Yeah, it only took me twelve years," when telling someone I was back at WKU again and was almost finished. I began my college career as a young mother, believing myself far wiser than my mere twenty years. Of course I wasn't, and I'm sure I'm still a lot dumber than I think I am. I have come a long way, though, and I think taking the time to really figure out why a college degree is important to me, and taking classes that I was able to enjoy and learn from, was the best route for me, even if it took a terribly long time. As I mentioned before, until now I wasn't really ready to stick to one subject, and I wasn't terribly concerned with graduation, though I knew it would - it had to - happen one day, if only for my own peace of mind. This winding path toward a Bachelor's Degree allowed me to learn about religions - from the snake-handling branch of the Pentecostals to the Peyote rituals of the Lakota Indians. It had me in Geology class, ready to take up rock collecting again for the first time since I was eight. This crazy twelve-year "program" of mine is the reason why my four-year old knows all her colors in Spanish. I taught her that. Finally, it allowed me to come full circle and realize how much I love literature and writing and that I can pursue a degree in that field, even if I don't want to be a teacher.
It's taken me twelve years to get to this point in my education. Now that I'm here, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have it any other way.
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