Rest Reassured

As with any big decision, after I made the choice to commit to Kansas as my destination in the quest for higher learning I began to mull over my decision and question whether it was truly the correct one. I really couldn’t think of any good reasons that it wasn’t a good decision but still a tiny shred of doubt remained buried in my subconscious.

I began to wonder if I would manage being so far from home or whether I really would enjoy the size of the big Lawrence campus. I wondered whether I would be able to get the same opportunities as another institution upon graduation.

Fortunately, an unexpected person came to my rescue and erased any doubt that I had made the right decision. One of the initial factors that swayed my decision was the immense amount of enthusiasm that came from the staff and students during my visit and the alumni or parents of students that heard of my interest in the school.

One alumni sent me a copy of The Daily Kansan, the journalism department’s print newspaper along with other information. A coworker of my dad’s sent a program and a Jayhawk pennant that he got when he visited his son on campus.

The final exclamation point was scribed this past week in a peculiar place. In an orthodontist appointment, which I would later point out via twitter was a waste of time since I didn’t even miss any school, I was asked about my plans for next year. When I said I would be going to KU, the orthodontist excitedly offered to write down his favorite barbeque spots in Kansas City, ensuring me that they were an absolute must-visit.

On Saturday, the Minnesota Gopher baseball team played the Iowa Hawkeyes at Target Field. I signed up to work after hearing that the Gopher games are shortand very easy. One three-hour rain delay and extra inning affair later and I’m a little bit skeptical.

Although an expected three hour shift turned into a seven hour event, I ended up learning quite a bit. During the lull in the game, I struck up conversation with another usher who had the misfortune of falling into the same trap I did.

Originally, we chatted about how long we had worked at Target Field and other basic, trivial conversational topics. Eventually, however we came to talk about my future plans as is often the case for a high school senior.

As I talked about the frustrations I had and my anticipation for changes, my colleague had the courtesy to tap into her wealth of knowledge that she had gained from her own transitional experience. She reassured me that I would enjoy Kansas and that, despite my current dissatisfaction with home life, transition will come and the liberties along with it.

Both of these reassurances now allow me to simply worry about surviving the final month before graduation and the summer that will follow.