A friend of mine is moving her oldest child in to college this week, and of course, it made me think back to when my parents (and snister, and then boyfriend (eek!)) helped me move in to Iowa State University.
This picture is nuts! Dad’s hair is so dark! Christina is playing with a generic version of a PalmPilot! That carpet is crazy! Why did I think it was necessary to bring a giant stuffed turtle to college?! Ha ha ha.
It blows my mind to look at this picture now, and think about how I had no idea what direction my life would take. I had no idea I’d meet my future partner two days after this photo was taken. That I would start this blog and make friends all over the country (and parts of the world!). That I’d get to travel overseas twice in college. That I’d end up moving to Chicagoland. That I would work in private industry for a year and a half after college then move to a public sector job. That I’d get so in to running and exercise and eventually become a personal trainer. Crazy crazy crazy.
I wonder if most people look back and think, “Wow, it’s kind of nuts how I ended up where I am.”
Or maybe most people actually have one of those “life plan” thingys and some idea where they are headed?!
Ha ha. That is SO not me. Life planning* and goal setting do NOT come naturally to me. It’s a struggle. I am more likely to just see where the endless possibilities of life take me. And for me (and maybe a lot of people?) that mostly started when I left the nest.
*I mean long term planning. I am decent with short term. But five-year plan? Ten-year? Twenty? No idea.
I was actually just having a similar conversation with my mom last week. The most popular guy from my high school class was the officiant in the wedding of someone else I went to high school with, which came WAY out of left field to me, because I never, ever, ever in a million years would’ve pegged him to become a pastor (though I’m still not 100% sure he’s a pastor…he might be a teacher, according to Twitter, so maybe he got licensed to marry people online? I don’t know. I haven’t kept up with him, clearly!). Anyway, I was discussing all of this with my mom and saying how much it blew my mind that that’s how he had ended up, and then I said, “Though, to be fair, I don’t think anyone would’ve expected me to be one of the few (the only?) people from my class to finish multiple marathons.” Everything that I’m doing right now–where I’m working, the field I work in, the hobbies I have, where I live–when I started college, not a single one of those things was anywhere remotely close to my radar. Which makes me wonder about what my life will be like seven years from now, since I’m clearly not at all good at predicting what I’ll be doing! I am not at all a five/ten/fifteen/twenty year plan sort of person. I think having that kind of long term plan would stress. me. out.
I wonder if he did just get certified online or something! I’ve heard of lots of people doing that so they can marry their friends. Cool, right? 🙂
That is mostly how I feel, too! Never would have imagined and am stoked to see what comes up in the future!
(All that planning, YUCK!!!! I want to plan financially, yes, but I am cool with where I end up and what I am doing and who my friends are and what I enjoy being… not always what I expect!)
I love these insights to your life so much 🙂 I thought I had a clear idea of what I was going to do post college- but then realized sustaining a performing career would equate to starving artist. The last year of college I started taking business classes but didn’t follow through for a minor or double major- I just wanted to be done. And consequently I worked many different jobs from dog groomer to actual orchestral musician in the process. Then I went back to school for my accounting degree and am fairly happy at my current gig- I thought I would have been more involved with music- but I’m super happy with how things turned out. And continuing this novel of a comment, I never thought I’d end up in Chicago- heck it wasn’t a place I ever wanted to visit (I love oceans!!) but now I’m thankful I’m here and happy for all the friendships I’ve made 🙂
Crazy to think you never even wanted to VISIT Chicago and now you plan to be here for quite awhile!!!! Nuts! 🙂
I hear you on wanting to get out of school after you’d had enough. I really did not get the people who decided to stay on for a masters or go back to school cause the economy was bad. I was DONE DONE DONE after my five years lol.
I think that too. How did I end up where I am at present? I work at a university so each year I do think of my freshman orientation when I see the new students arrive. Thankfully I’m not here during move-in days. Once was hectic enough!
Your poor boyfriend chilling on the top bunk. Little did he know that two days later, he would be residing in Splitsville. Population: Him. 🙂
I actually didn’t break up with him for about a week or two since I only met Steven a few days after this pic (I wasn’t dating two people at once, lol). Poor guy. He called me again after I broke up with him to ask if we were still “broken up.” Um… yes?
Like you, I am horrible at long-term planning. And, like you, I never thought about where I’d end up and never expected to end up where I am! When I started college I thought I’d end up as an FBI agent or a cop. That SO didn’t happen!
I hate to sound cliche, but it is so true about expecting the unexpected. If you’d asked me 10 years ago where I thought I’d be today, never in a million years would I have guessed anything close. It makes me wonder how different things will be 10 years from now versus what I am currently picturing!
I do think about this often! My life is so different than 10 years ago. It’s almost scary really when I think about it. What if it’s as different 10 years from now as it is now from 10 years ago?
I can’t believe I’m married to a guy I met when I was 15, and that I don’t have kids by now (and am pretty certain I don’t ever want them). Oh and that I’m so into fitness.
I did start college with the goal of managing websites though. I gave up on that dream half a semester into my first college programming class. But, here I am, 15 years later … managing websites.
It’s fun to loook back and think about how much things can change in the span of a few days 🙂 I feel like the last couple decades have been pretty predictable …sadly, but when I was younger it seemed like I was constantly, going, I could have never imagined!!
I didn’t realize you met Steven so early into college. That’s cool! (Actually, I don’t know how you met exactly.) I definitely went into college with a total life plan, and yeah, it didn’t work out at all how I thought it would. That being said, I don’t know that I would keep telling young people that, especially if their life plans haven’t fallen through yet. It was reassuring for me to have a plan because I thought all of the possibilities were overwhelming!
Ha ha ha! So, have a life plan until it doesn’t work?! LOL.
Steven and I met at a frat party the Friday night before classes started 🙂
I still have no idea where life is going to take me! Isn’t that how it works? haha. But if you told me everything I’d be doing with my life on my first day of college, I certainly wouldn’t believe you! Sometimes I wish I knew then what I know now, but the mystery and changing of paths is what keeps life interesting.