On Returning to Classes

Today was the first day back at school for what I expect to be my last year.

It's strange, really. On one side, it felt nice to be back in the same familiar place, surrounded by so many bright and intelligent people. But it's also daunting: walking here and there, my mind calls up images of due dates and deadlines. In a phrase, stress starts walking in my steps across the school.

Stress about the immediate: turning in those forms, updating such and such online, ordering my last batch of books, starting in on reading and other assignments. Stress about the longer term: organizing the work for my honors thesis, setting up other honors credits, planning out what classes I need to take next semester. Even longer term: if I graduate in May, that's really only a few months away--what do I do then? Am I sure I don't want to go to graduate school? What direction do I want to go in job-wise?

At least I had my nice bike ride back home to distract my body from my mind.

(Last note: I have no idea if senior year busyness will mean I won't be able to keep up the rate of posting I have had this summer. It may be harder to find the time to post, but I also find that classes help me think of topics to write about. So we'll see; I promise at least not to disappear entirely.)