Adult World

So this week I joined the world of adults: I got a real job. I have been working for BYU Independent Study as a student employee for the past year and a half and this week I joined their full-time staff. It's been a busy week and so many problems came up and I had to make so many decisions. But, it was a really good start. Everyone was really nice to me and very welcoming. I was super impressed by everyone.

But I realized something as I was sitting in one of my many meetings during the week: my peers have now become people 15+ years older than me. I sat around looking at everyone and realized that most of them have several children and were either going through puberty when I was born or were already in college. It was then that I realized that I'm glad that I've always gotten along well with people older than me. I think it will serve me well. I think it also helps that my humor is "mature" (so says one of my co-workers), meaning that I have humor drier than a new-comer's skin to Utah.

So the coming weeks will bring a lot of new experiences for me and new ways of seeing the world. (Such as being introduced to Howard Jones's music this week. Who doesn't love 80s music?) Hopefully I work well as an all-around liaison for anything you could imagine at Independent Study. Let's see how it goes. Any advice?

Liberation

So about two months ago I started to become aware of my hair. I know that may sound odd, but I just started to feel it all the time. Obnoxious. It was like all those nights when you've made the brave decision to wear socks to bed. (It can be pretty hit or miss.) And suddenly all you need to do is take off your socks because you've suddenly become aware that they are there, and they are suffocating your feet. That is how my hair began to feel to me. With every time I put on my scarf, and my coat, and my backpack, I felt my hair as I irritatedly pulled it out from under each of these new enemies. It was a constant annoyance.

So a month ago, I chopped it off. Nine inches of it. Every time Patrick took another slice at my hair, instead of feeling panicked and distraught, I felt freer and lighter. And I have not looked back since.

Hello, new short hair cut. You are my new best friend. I have missed you.

Sometimes all it takes is facing the enemy and deciding to make a change.