Life is full of endings. And beginnings.
This week we had a final team dinner with our Commuter Life Team for this year. Interviews for next year's team were completed almost two months ago, and I am excited for next year. But watching these friends finish their time at Multnomah and launch off to new beginnings is a bit surreal for me.
My boyfriend is among the 2011 graduates. Watching him finish his final assignments this week I keep thinking one word: done.
Done? Jealousy has certainly crossed my mind. In one sense, I am eager to be done with homework and deadlines and return to the life of the 8-5. I miss having evenings open - wide open - to read, watch TV, or hang out with friends (or my boyfriend).
Yet, in the midst of that jealousy I sense a few other feelings among my friends. These feelings can probably boil down to one word: bittersweet. I can see that they will miss spending all day, every day, with their friends - even if that is in class and studying in the library and pushing earbuds into their ears in an attempt to drown out the noise of the dorms. I can see that they will miss the mental stimulation brought on by constant learning. And I can see that they will miss knowing "what's next" and that any difficult classes will be over soon (the "I just have to make it through finals mentality).
So, as I face 2 more days of classes and 2 more days of finals, a week off and then Summer classes, I hope to keep these things in mind. Yes, this may be emotionally and mentally draining, but there is something to be enjoyed here which I might soon miss.
