Common Ground

I have no clue why, but I’m currently in the middle of a no-sleep spell.

Well, maybe I do know why.  I am about to commence one of the bigger transitions in my life thus far.  My stop in Erie is swiftly coming to a close, and while I am going to miss many people here, my mind is already focused on my future.  I am so excited it’s ridiculous.

For one thing, I am eager to get back in the classroom.  After getting my feet wet in student affairs for the last three years, I can’t wait to apply my practice to newly-learned theory (which doesn’t get to happen too often, usually it’s the other way around).  I am looking forward to discussions on topics I like to talk about that take place nearly every day.  Yes, I realize I’ll get tired of them at some point.  But right now, I’m looking forward to it.  I also know I’ll be writing way more.  And with the blogging gig at Future Majority already on my plate, my writing will drastically improve from practice.

Another large reason why the idea of grad school is so exciting is the youthful environment.  I enjoyed time at my current institution because I got to watch people older than me live grown-up lives.  But now, I am looking forward to being the older person in conversations, while still being around people much closer to me in age.

Getting to be with Molly every day is also going to be a major plus.  Much of our relationship has taken on the theme of distance, whether we’re 30, 300, or thousands of miles apart (we’ve been all three).  But even if just for a year, settling down and seeing her each day for an extended period of time is sure going to be nice.

I hinted earlier that this is keeping me from sleeping.  Over the past couple days, I’ve come to realize that I am not feeling any heavy feelings of sadness at the beginning stages of this transition.  Perhaps this is related to knowing grad school is the next step, and knowing that I got into a great program surrounded by at least two people I already know very well.  And while I will surely miss my friends I have made here, I know I’ll be seeing them in the future.

But I don’t want to seem like some heartless bastard who doesn’t appreciate their feelings, either.  I think I’ll probably need to spend some time this week writing a letter or giving them a card with my goodbyes inside.

Either way, this transition is going to be instructive for me.  I need to be able to balance my enthusiasm for grad school with my understanding that I’ve developed strong friendships here with people who are going to be very sorry to see me go.  I’ll be sure to update you on my progress.

Hmm, maybe I can sleep better now that I have that out of me.