Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Reality of It All...


This is my second week of online classes. I am sitting here at my laptop. I should be studying the chapter in my business class to get ready for the quiz, and I will.....eventually. :)

Ah, yes, the excitement of college life has dimmed ever so slightly. Well, it's had its flickering moments, and last Monday - on the first day of classes - the power went completely out for awhile. As I sat there, looking at all the assignments due, the reality of college life came sweeping in on me and I started to really question my sanity. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I had forgotten what it felt like. Oh, I still want to learn. I find my classes very interesting, but I forgot the "college pressure" - the pressure to get all the assignments done, the pressure to get good grades, the pressure to figure out what I am going to do for a major project.

My brain doesn't feel like studying right now. I would much rather curl up on my bed with a good book, watch a movie, or even play a computer game or two. But that would just be a waste of time :) One of the reasons I decided to take some online classes during the summer is so I wouldn't waste time. My work load has died down a lot because of school being over, so I knew I would have more time on my hands this summer. The temptation to waste the time I would be given would be great if I didn't find something with which to occupy myself. I figured taking some college classes would insure that I wouldn't have time to waste. I would spend my hours learning.

Oh, it sounded great and everything before classes actually started, but now reality had hit me right between the eyes. Reading 40 page chapters, studying key terms, memorizing concepts and writing research papers just isn't fun! But who said everything in life had to be fun? Learning new things is good for me. I may not always enjoy it, and the "exciting college lights" may flicker at times or even go completely out, but that doesn't mean I quit. Believe me - last Monday when reality came crashing in, and I realized what I had committed to, I was sorely tempted to just withdraw. I felt like I couldn't do it. Why should I have to? I already have a degree. Why did I do this to myself? Am I insane? I finally have some more free time and I am spending it - studying? But I decided (after a sleepless night of questioning my sanity) that I just needed to take one day at a time, one study session at a time, one quiz at a time. Last week was an EXTREMELY busy week at one of my jobs, so I knew that I couldn't judge the first week of classes by what it would really be like. As Abraham Lincoln said, "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."

So here I am. And now, I must stop procrastinating and start learning about the foundations of business :) Oh joy!

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