This Thing Called Life

One day closer to the weekend, that's what gets me out of bed at 5:00 am every morning. It seems that one bad day can lead to a seriously bad week. So of course, after coming home from a painful bus ride with an equally painful headache, I was pleased to hear my mother had a lovely surprise for me.

This Saturday, I'm going to be at the Memphis College of art from the morning to late afternoon participating in a workshop, touring the school, etc. Excited isn't even accurate.

I've considered art school since the 9th grade, but it was never a serious consideration. Both of my parents have never really encouraged it. Their fear, as well as mine, is that I won't receive a well-rounded education, so that if my art career doesn't work out, I won't have a backup plan. That's a scary thought. So, I've always kind of pushed art school to the back of my mind. Instead, I focused on the plan my parents have had for years; move back to Missouri to be with our family, build a house in the woods, and I attend Mizzou, just like my daddy.

("Freshie Friendz" 2011)

But what if that doesn't work out. What if I go on Saturday, and I suddenly realize that art school is for me. My parents wouldn't be exactly thrilled, but I know they would always be by me no matter what I choose.

All of these thoughts and choices and worries, they're so... grown up. And that's terrifying. All of my friends crave adulthood, while I'm in the corner still playing with my Crayola Glow Dome and failing my permit test. Growing up is something that I used to dream about. It meant I would wear heels like Mommy and have my own television and spend money on whatever I want. But that's what I thought when I was five. And of course, I'm sure we're all aware that that's not exactly the case. Jobs, school, bills, they all pile up. It's scary. Scary. Scary. Scary.

But that's life. C'est la vie. It's what we all have to experience sometime, whether we want to or not. It's not so scary when you have your family and friends beside you. And when you finally make it to the top, when you finally figured everything out and it's all fit into place, well I'll bet a lot of money that that's

the best damn feeling in the entire world.