<p>We’re planning on returning to H’s college for reunions in a couple of weeks, and it got me thinking about my own college days. Aside from the learning opportunities inside and out of the classroom, I miss being able to stay up all night (not always studying!) and feeling pretty functional the next day. I miss the easy, daily camaderie with my women friends. (womens college here). I miss that feeling of “the world is my oyster” …that optimism of the future that I felt on Commencement Day. I wouldn’t want to repeat college again, but it sure was great!</p>
<p>This is an easy question for me. I miss the easy friendships and spontaneous get togethers. Everywhere you looked there were people around your age looking for things to do too. I never went anywhere by myself unless I specifically wanted to have some alone time. Many days some one might call you about a quick road trip or want to go grab dinner. As you progress into the adult world scheduling, obligations, and other factors seem to prevent these things from occurring nearly as frequently. I even miss study groups that took turns for the absurd and silly as the hours passed by.</p>
<p>Getting up late. Sleeping in the middle of the day. The joy of learning new things. Being 21.</p>
<p>Being skinny. Flirting. The excitement of all the possibiltites, the newness. Seasons.</p>
<p>I still remember a physics professor telling me how lucky we all were at this stage of our lives, since all our time and efforts were spent just to improve ourselves.</p>
<p>No obligations other than to myself.
No bosses. Essentially no family to please.
In my case, virtually no financial considerations or reponsibilities.
IF I screwed up an exam I might get a “C”, but nobody would lose life or money and my “job” as a student was not in danger.</p>
<p>Successful social interactions. Balanced against unsuccessful ones.</p>
<p>That ecstatic, not-a-care-in-the-world, the slate is clean feeling after the final exam of the semester.</p>
<p>The aura of excitment of football weekends with the town and campus filled with alums and parents and every other apartment hosting pre and post-game parties that spilled out onto porches, decks and roofs. The throng of fans walking to the stadium. The band striking up “The Victors”. </p>
<p>Learning to live on my own with virtually no guidance from my parents.</p>
<p>Ahhhh…I actually thought I was crazy busy in college! What a laugh!</p>
<p>Let’s see…besides the luxury of time…I miss the all night intellectual wanderings in the company of good friends. I miss the non-stop <em>ahem</em>. I miss the hours and hours of reading and drawing and painting. I miss the prevalent challenge, the excitement of adding knowledge and skill. I miss the dance parties. I have to go to the gym to dance now. "That’s the only socially acceptable place a 48 year old can practice the Beyonce Bounce or krumping, LOL.</p>
<p>But…I don’t want to go back to those days. I’m looking forward to the next phase where I don’t have to juggle everything with mothering. That seems like it is going to be fun!</p>
<p>I didn’t go to college- but if I am honest the things I most enjoyed during my late teens early twenties are all the things I hope my girls don’t do!</p>
<p>New England Fall foliage, open-ended future, no cooking, no housework, no 9 to 5 routine, little “busy work”, articulate companions setting off on parallel adventures of self-discovery and intellectual exploration–being able to put yourself and your own needs first most of the time, new experiences, new relationships, new points of view–finding out what really matters, what you really care about and all the ways that other people can be different and stimulating–the future being satisfyingly vague --a distant horizon full of promise- all things are possible, no choices are irrevocable.</p>
<p>My main responsibility being to read all day, fall mornings going down to Kerrytown to buy cider, sitting up all night talking ideas at a pizza joint on E University, football games, “The Victors”—OMigosh, FF, We’re fellow alumni!? who knew? :)</p>
<p>Pretending to read Shakespeare on the beach in the middle of the day in the middle of the week (a short five minute jaunt from my dorm room). Then staying up all night to really read Shakespeare and not being wiped out for the rest of the week. Sigh. Those really were the days. Wish I could go back to then for a day or two.</p>
<p>haha e-kitty. </p>
<p>Hopefully my boys will have a similar list–plus memories of overseas travelling and living. That would please me. I’d know that those memories would get them through the duller days of middle age…</p>
<p>What I miss most about college:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Being attractive to young women.</p></li>
<li><p>The sense that I had no limits, the belief that I really could become a senator, a Supreme Court justice, a great novelist, and a rock star, in whatever order I happened to chose.</p></li>
<li><p>The sense that an average human life span was longer than I was really capable of conceiving.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>OK, where were “the Victors?”</p>
<p>SBmom: “Being skinny.” Very funny!</p>
<p>DKE: Michigan-- “HAIL to the Victors Valiant, HAIL to the conquering heroes, HAIL, HAIL to MIchigan the champions of the West!”</p>
<p>(Raised fist with every HAIL).</p>
<p>thanks, Garland…now where does the Wolverine fit in? That’s the mascot, right?</p>
<p>Yup. We don’t sing about it much, though.</p>
<p>I don’t miss anything about those days. I was awkward, painfully shy, and lonely. Everybody but me went home on the weekends. (I lived too far away.) And I never had any money–I had a job but the money was used for food, tuition etc.</p>
<p>Hot fudge shakes and pizza subs @ Pizza Bob’s on State Street while re-reading the story of the guy that set the record eating the Destroyer sub.</p>
<p>Leaving the EB on all night and all day, so the bed would always be toasty warm.</p>
<p>Late night “Hoovering” expeditions.</p>
<p>A great group of guys. We had a 30th reunion of our fraternity graduating class two weekends ago and it was like we had never been apart. So much so that we are planning a 30+1 reunion for next fall.</p>