The Road to College

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

                                                               -J.R.R. Tolkien

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

                                                                -Helen Keller

Since I first boarded the bus to the MEPS station to enter the Air Force many years ago, I have always faced new things in my life like an adventure. Some adventures were like seeing the elves for the first time in Rivendell, filled with awe and wonder, and some were like standing on the edge of Mt. Doom contemplating my fate. I have yet to figure out if having both the kids off to college will be like hanging out with the Hobbits, or being tortured by the Uruk-hai. My fate is still dependent on my hope that this new adventure will serve us all. Ok, enough with the LOTR stuff (although I could go on for days).

This week we took Lauren to Oklahoma Christian for her first and only college tour. She has known ever since we took Garrett to school there that OC would be the place for her. It was a great visit, Lauren got to tour the campus, shadow Garrett to a couple of real college courses, tour the dorms and meet the head of the psychology department. We also got to hang out with Garrett and his friends while we were there. 

These college road trips are a blessing and a curse at the same time. When we took Garrett I remember being mostly excited for him. I was a little sad because I knew he would be leaving us to start this new adventure all on his own (mostly), I also knew we still had almost another year before sending him off! Even when he would be gone I would still have Lauren at home to keep me entertained, and tell me stories. I am excited for Lauren too, I know she's going to have a great time and succeed during her college experience (hopefully she has learned some lessons from Garrett). She will have more stories to tell but she won't be there on the patio, and the time between stories will be longer. I realize that she will have a huge adventure head of her with brand new, exciting, and unforgettable "snow globe moments". My adventure doesn't seem as exciting: The fellowship broken, the pilgrimage ended, the quest completed. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

The excitement of getting Lauren off to college is more treacherous to navigate. I find myself deep in the valley of despair (that may be a little over dramatic, I know but...), teetering on the edge of the chasm of how to occupy my time now that I don't have to organize curriculum, make assignments and grade papers. Because of my AOADD (Adult On-set Attention Deficit Disorder-self diagnosed, thank you very much) I know that I won’t teeter for long. I have big plans: sewing projects, crafting projects, painting and redoing downstairs bathroom, reading, lounging, and maybe, possibly getting my masters degree-who knows?!

So the road to college is not just a road for the college student but for the parents they leave behind. I am ready for this next big adventure, mission, quest, thing.