First

Today is the first day of school at Taylor University in Indiana and I am not there. It's a strange feeling, knowing that the hum of Olson is going on without me. New people moved into my old room(s) this weekend. The bathroom has likely been stocked with new music and people are screaming in the halls.

It's not my first day of school today. I am not looking over scary syllabi and hoping that I will make it through another semester or unpacking and decorating yet another room.

But this is my first day of school as a college graduate.

Wow, that is quite a thought.

I'm sure it hits us all at different times, and just when I feel that I've finally processed most of this, I am struck by the feeling that I haven't. I guess it makes sense that I haven't processed the end of something I've been doing for the vast majority of my life.

It felt like the first day of school today. In Spokane, it was cold and windy and I put on a sweater and a jacket. I could smell school, as odd as that sounds. I knew, before I googled it, that Taylor was starting today. I wanted someone to send me a bouquet of sharpened pencils, and to grab a roll of Scotch tape and smell it.

It was strange coming to work and going about my day, putting one foot in front of the other in this strange world of post-school that I now live in, knowing that this time, I'm not going back. For better or for worse.

So, to all starting school today (or around today) best wishes for a productive and wonderful year, and to all who, like me, are trying to figure out what life after school looks like, best wishes to you too. Thanks for reading, everyone.