Questions ... but not for everyone.

I only write here occasionally - usually that occasion is rather huge. Today, it's just a simple little "back to college" post. I have to admit, I didn't think I'd enjoy going back this much (especially since all my hard classes were today) but it ended up working out that way.

For the first thing, all the janitors and security people still recognized me from last year. As I passed M1 I gave my salute to the lady that smokes there every morning and got a "Hey! You're back! Looking forward to this semester?" As I kept walking, a security guard in a golf cart pulled over and chatted about my classes. He gave me a hearty, "Take care now! Make sure to say Hi and Merry Christmas to your family for me!" Once I got to T building (Economics), I was embraced by a teacher, exchanged jokes about PineSol with another janitor, and got to sit next to a friendly face in the form of Jarrod (from English last year) while recieving a lecture on Macroeconomics.

At that point, the good times were just beginning. I went to A building for Science and got a major reality check (this semester, I will need to work even harder). I then asked God to please let me see my favorite happy tonic - Opie - and He obliged. It's really good to see an actual friend amidst a sea of unfamiliar (even / especially familiar) faces. After a short bout with College Algebra in the heart of the glass-encased rat race that we students get to call "G-building", I scurried off to drink something warm and finish homework.

I was able to go home early today. That is an incredible blessing. Life is getting back in motion after a respite that really wasn't that much of a resting period. It's good to know what I will be doing day after day - to have a schedule to plan around and a budget to work with. I've been living a more or less purposeless life for the past six weeks, and I must admit that it does not agree with me well. I truly enojoyed the time spent with my family. I deeply value the time we spent talking, praying, and sleeping in (especially the first two). At the same time, I'm ready to get back to work - to have tangible goals that will be a challenge for me and to taste victory once again this semester. For me, that taste is kind of like a sip of orange juice after a hard run; it's flavorful almost to the point of shocking, cold, textured with the pulp that comes from being pressed almost to nothing, and yet incredibly satisfying.