Micro CNF. College is Hard. This is Real Life. Probably Won't Feel Like This Forever.

COLLEGE.

(and how it compares to real life)

"This," his voice sonorous, made of leather & the color of antique books. "This," eyes spanned our tiny, wooden room, the vast majority absolutely engaged and never mind hungover. It was Thursday morning, probably 11AM, and the first { possibly last } class for almost all of us. Sophomores. Juniors. Seniors. When Professor S. Carr, of the most intelligent and eloquent men I know { perhaps on par with the beloved Mr. Currie }, laughed to himself naturally & probably accidentally, I finally lifted my head.

Cathedral of Learning.
University of Pittsburgh. (Not take in February. Or in 2005.)

"This is the most free time you will ever have. 

...

In your life."

* * *

My Bedroom.
I Don't Clean It. Not Because I Don't Have the Time. But Rather,
Because ... I'm Not in College??

I. Died. This. This man. This man who I trusted. This man was telling me lies.

* * *

Because let me tell ya' a lil' bit 'a. somethin' 'bout

COLLEGE

1. Average # of miles I walked every single day to every single class even especially my senior year. Snow. Wind. Rain. (Pittsburgh. #PITT .)

2. Arms to carry 1 months worth of groceries each time I took the bus to Giant Eagle.

3. Three - five times/week, religiously, that I worked out. (Because I was cray.)

4. Times/week I volunteered with the America Reads Challenge to tutor, to plan lessons, or to volunteer in and around Oakland.

5. Regular number of books I read in one week which happens also to equal average number of hours I slept per night.

6. + 2 hours (as in 8) I spent every single Saturday morning (save for football games, wherein I moved it to Saturday evenings) writing 2 page literary analyses to craft my precision and hone my rhetoric.

7. Spent every single Sunday night preparing homemade dinners (we're talking meatballs and sauce or baked chicken with potatoes and onions) because if I didn't cook them then, I'd for sure starve the rest of the week.

* * *

Quite simply, if I were still in college today--this very day--I'd die. Poof! ... Look at this bedroom! Look at it!! I work 37.5 hrs/week 5 blocks from my apartment, drive, get paid, & somehow manage to get out every single Friday at 2pm. I don't have homework! I have this. I read other blogs. I go on Facebook. I whittle my insignificant internal thoughts down to 140 characters ( @babsiell ). I volunteer, like, once/month. I Instagram (BarbaraEllen). But I do not have homework! I don't cook. I eat pb on crackers & occasionally make a salad. And I certainly don't work out 3-5 times/week. I drive to restorative yoga (uh-mazing) like 10 blocks down from me in the South Wedge once/week & basically almost-fall-asleep for about an hour. I real-sleep at least 6 hours/night during the week--more like 7--and at least 8--more like 10--on the weekends. And it feels incredible. Like when your body thinks you're supposed to do something & your brain remembers it no longer has to so you shrug, Oh, & it is the best gift every single time. 

So. If you're in college. Or maybe you're a new teacher. And you just wonder: Is this real life??? ... Am I going to feel like this forever???? Chances are--even if a super trusted source tells you otherwise--the answer is: No. You're not.

It

gets

better

.

(If you let it.)