EDITOR's NOTE: This article originally published in The Advocate on Aug. 31, 2011. To view original post, visit AccentAdvocate.com.
By Brett Abel, brettsabel@gmail.com
Summer's end — what a depressing time.
Morning clouds and chances of rain, to say nothing of the start of school, now block the optimistic sunlight that used to shine into my window.
But there is more than one hemisphere in this great big world and it is springtime south of the equator.
It is time for flowers to bloom along the Ivory Coast, for flamingos to hatch in Chile and for koalas to be born in Australia.
There are many reasons to be upset for these seasonal changes beyond our control, and some can bring tears to the most sensitive eyes, but there is reason to hope.
Contra Costa College has many advantages over anywhere else I have been, but the most significant is that students come here because it is their choice. They want to learn science or English or music.
Students across campuses in this country often force themselves to class, heads down and shoulders slumped from the enormous pressure their parents have put upon them.
Here, however, students stroll, heads up, with only the pressure they put on themselves to succeed and better their own situation.
They want to be the best they can in a field they love and in which they can succeed.
Furthermore, the faculty and staff want them to do well and will sacrifice to see that happen.
Being away from the campus for two years reminded me how much I loved being here everyday.
But staying here is not the goal, obviously. Moving on to a university and getting that coveted bachelor's degree is what drove me when I first came here in 2006 after graduating high school.
But, as we all eventually learn, it's not the destination, but the journey.
When I moved on to the University of Nevada-Reno after three years at CCC, I couldn't help but smile from ear-to-ear for progressing.
After a year and a half, only memories of home could bring back a smile — and, occasionally, a tear.
I came home some weekends and as I backed out of my driveway headed for the Sierra Nevada, I wondered why I ever left.
As my mind was nearly made up that I would come back to San Pablo for another year of school and transfer to San Francisco State, there was suddenly a reason for me to stay in Reno. But I couldn't do it.
It was hard leaving her behind as the calendar changed from July to August, but I was trying to keep my eye on the destination while simultaneously enjoying the journey.
At first, it was nearly impossible to leave. August started and autumn brought a change to the landscape.
We didn't speak to each other, only passing unaddressed, coded statuses to one another on Facebook: "The same old song, but with a different meaning ..." You get the idea.
And after 10 days of sulking, I came on campus and went to All College Day as a reporter for The Advocate again. It felt great — a renaissance.
At the end of the day, I came home to the first message from my lost love since we had broken up two weeks earlier. The next day, Aug. 12, school officially started again and my girl was back in my arms, if only for the weekend.
Rebirth.
It was the return of two parts of me I could have lost forever.
As the semester and year go on, nothing will get easier and the thought wishing it would all end will surely cross my mind, but then I'll remember that it is always spring somewhere. What a wonderful world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment