Non-Traditional Student...Now that's an understatement

In the few days following my last post to now I have decided that I am ready to go back to school to finish my college degree. For me, this is BIG because I had a pretty rough experience at the university I chose to attend from 1996 - 2000, so rough that I had no interest in giving it another whirl. Thanks to a Mommy-Friend of mine, I actually started considering higher ed again.

I've seen stories on TV about women graduating from college at ages ranging anywhere from 50 to 90, so this thing is doable. A mother of two kids in elementary school, unemployed for about 5 years, whose only daily stimulation has come from 'curing' random illnesses - preferably cures of the natural kind, and remembering math symbols and terms that I haven't used in years to help Jay with her homework, you could call me Non-Traditional. This is what my college counselor and professors get to mold - a mommy lump of clay.

Along with my lack of worldly or academic experience, I'm not a real fast learner. I know, that sounds "special", but I read slowly, I must read in a silent setting, I'm pretty good at math unless you start talking Geometry or beyond. I'm a Liberal Arts girl at heart, why they see fit for me to delve into courses like Statistics is beyonnnnnnd me. Just when I think I have one concept licked they throw another one my way - college is going to be a trip!

With that said, 11 years under my belt since my last attempt at college has taught me lessons no college course ever even touched on:

There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Sure a history class would have taught me that FDR said something along these lines, but the truth is I spent most of my life using FEAR as the basis of most of my decisions. Not so much anymore. I have learned that if I don't push past my fear - in this case, honestly, fear of failure - I will never accomplish anything for I have never 'woman-ed' up enough to even try. So although I think back on my many 'issues' as a teenager in college, I'm in a different, better place. I've grown up and know the true value of an education. An education opens doors, doors that enclose the world of possibilities for my life. Fear is not riding shotgun on this trip!

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Another quote, but applicable all the same. Babe tells me I can't be afraid to work hard in the gym - the sentiment applies to every area of my life, not just fitness. I used to act like working hard in school, thinking too hard or truly learning a concept might turn my brain to mush. Like lifting a 5 pound weight at the gym is really going to do anything for a seasoned female body builder. No, that woman's going to have to step it up or she'll never get any fresh results. That's how I'm feeling about college - it won't be easy, but I'll enlist every bit of help I need this time around to get it done. Something about college back then turned me into an academic pansy - this time it'll make my brain the capable powerhouse I know it can and should be.

I know life is going to get crazy-busy when I start school this fall, I'll have to organize and prioritize like never before, but at 31 with both kids in school there's nowhere to go but up in regards to becoming even more of the woman God intended me to be. He gave me a chance to raise my babies, a time when my focus was completely on them, and now that they are off to a great start I feel like all eyes are on me. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.