“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot
Autumn is all about change. Nature dies as we live. In the northeast, the heat of summer is subdued before the onslaught of winter. Football and hockey revisit us like old friends with the promise of good times over the coming months. Schools are back in session, new faces in new places. Houses empty. Dorms fill. Youth is put to the test.
We never really know what twists and turns are going to manipulate us as we enter new phases in our lives. Some people think they’ve got a tight grip on their lives, but the tragedy of well-laid plans is well chronicled. Someone said the future ain’t what it used to be. For students, it’s a vast wilderness of the unknown.
Few things on this planet give me more fulfillment than spending time with students of all ages. They hold the formula for optimism and idealism, passion and vitality. You gotta love them all, from the wide-eyed, deer in the headlights freshman to the cynical, perpetually unamused veteran of 14 different majors, and all the identity crises surviving coeds in between.
I love watching them as they join the human race in trying to figure it all out. Seeing new things occur to them is as exciting as a breakthrough in my own mind. As I chatted with some sharp seniors in the chemistry program at Pitt the other night I marveled at how near we often are to the beginning even when we feel so close to the end.
***
About 15 years ago to the moment I write this, I moved into college for the first time. I remember that first day well, a new beginning. It was a Sunday in the fall, late August just like now, when my family made the journey to a little town in Southwestern Pennsylvania and deposited me for the forseeable future.
The first person I met was my roommate. He was friends with the coolest guys in town, athletic, going on 21, and adored by women. Everyone called him Rico. I, on the other hand, was bean pole skinny, four months shy of my 18th birthday, and ignored by girls. I had no nicknames other than dork (my sisters) and sunshine (my mom), neither of which offered any help in putting me on the social map.
I wanted to check out the campus, my new home, but was overwhelmed. The only person I knew was an ex-girlfriend. We had broken up a few months earlier but reconnected as friends the day before to at least guarantee ourselves one ally in that foreign country. I wondered what would happen when she met Rico.
Nerves got the better of me, so I squirmed down the hall to check out my new bathroom. The stalls featured graffiti of years past, images and words faint from attempts to scrub the art away. I scanned the walls for potentially useful advice or mind altering wisdom. As I read the stall walls, I realized something was missing. There was no toilet paper in the dormitory stalls! Not even dispensers. College student fail, and I hadn’t even made it to the lobby yet. I was doomed.
***
I’ve always thought that private little incident a perfect metaphor for what it’s like to start college, or anything for that matter, without being prepared. Not only did I lack the necessary resources but the foundation wasn’t even in place. My first big lesson was more practical than existential. How often we try to take on the world before we can even take care of ourselves.
At first I couldn’t see anything beyond my fear and anxiety about what others thought of me. When I did get around to thinking, I wanted to solve the problems of the world and mysteries of the universe. In the meantime, I hadn’t taken care of the basics things I would need along the journey. Can you relate?
My little trip to college that day turned into 7 years as a student. It never occurred to me that I had just begun the rest of my life. If we’re honest, I think most of us get stuck in everyday ruts and fail to realize that each tomorrow is the start of the rest of our lives.
As the seasons change, nature resets and we can feel the hope of renewal. Of course, as Pandora learned, hope can be a dangerous thing. New beginnings often carry both promise and pain. Birth isn’t easy. Why should rebirth be any more so?
Some of the most glorious scenes in nature come from dying trees, as the leaves fade and fall. Have you ever noticed how much farther you can see once the branches have all been laid bare? Autumn contains an end that reveals beauty in death while expanding our horizons. Our lives are like that. In times of change we come to an end of who we are. Some parts of us die because they must. The process can be painful but beautiful things will also be revealed, and on the other side we see farther than we ever have as we catch a new vision for the next leg of our quest.
We will never have it all figured out. No one can ever be fully prepared for a new school or job or baby or whatever. At times we’ll be completely unprepared. In the meantime, we can learn to appreciate the journey, especially during “delicious autumn.”
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I would love to connect with you on Twitter. You’ll find me @ClayMorganPA.
Interesting post! Very well said, reminds me of the old saying, “The only thing that is certain is change.”
Very true. Just as change can be a dangerous thing, the fact that it is dangerous (which automatically has a negative connotation in our minds) doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing.
Think of it: The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. (Payne). Entering college can be a simple transition for some, or a mountain to scale for others. One thing is certain; each tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of your life, as Educlaytion has stated. You can choose to grab it by the horns, or die.
Great post, sunshine.:) Delicious autumn is a beautiful description.
You’re funny. I think I killed my street cred with too much disclosure
Nice post, and congrats on being Freshly pressed. “We will never have it all figured out” should be the Gen-X motto. It’s not a bad lesson, all things considered. Despite not liking the profession, I did enjoy the crazy mix of stuff that students brought into the classroom, so I sympathize.
Thanks WoPro! I enjoyed your site.
Really lovely post
Loved the line ‘think most of us get stuck in everyday ruts and fail to realize that each tomorrow is the start of the rest of our lives’ it is so true!
sounds like you have come a long way and learned a lot… that’s what it is all about!
Fantastic post. Although I’m commuting to college, I start classes next week and I’m very nervous! Can’t wait!
http://www.stuffyoushouldhate.com
I agree with you. Autumn is my favorite time of year. More than January, I think autumn is about starting anew. So many school years begin. My son was born on a beautiful autumn day. My favorite weather happens in the fall with the most spectacular seasonal changes to view and the best moderate temperatures. Crisp air clears out the mind.
hi, have I found a fellow pittsburgher? i skimmed this entry because i was so excited to see what else you’ve written, and i’ve subscribed by email to your post. first time i ever did that! so i’m thinking it must be good! love the squirrel avatar and of course, congrats on being freshly pressed. sounds like this site is going to benefit greatly from that and so it deserves to! yours, jen jbrower76.wordpress.com
I am indeed a fellow Pittsburgher. Thanks for the kind words and the sub. The SuperSquirrel is legendary. Feel free to follow him over to Facebook.
Nice Post!
http://ninjawiththeorangetshirt.wordpress.com/
Autumn was beautifully described and viewed in its different perspective. I like how autumn was compared to the changes that happen to people’s lives. Nice article…:)
Jess B. Hinkle
http://jesshinkle.wordpress.com/
I am a first year teacher, about to start my first ever teaching contract…
I really enjoyed this.
Great to hear from a fellow teacher. Just grin and bear the admin stuff, make the job about developing relationships, and you’ll do great.
Came across your blog randomly browsing. Some really funny and charming articles here. Thanks for posting them.
Love the cartoon illustrating this one, especially.
Thanks for the kind words and checking out some articles of mine. I hear they’re even more funny and charming when you tell all your friends about them
Take care
Yep … life is all about the journey!
Funny isn’t it, you look for ideas and think of one, but you are unable to find one. Then suddenly on the strangest and least expected places you find one.
I graduated from college in 1969. Every Fall, I still remember what it was like to arrive on the Penn State campus. The excitement was almost unbearable. The line of cars inching along College Ave and the “Welcome Back Students!” banners made me feel like the recipient of a ticker tape parade.
Move in day was always magical. Those memories were bursting in my mind as I wrote this. So many to tell…
I really loved this post. Also, perhaps you and I should stop looking for life wisdom and inspiration in bathroom stalls?
I can totally relate to your article. Im fresh out of high school, starting university next month and I cant help but see myself in your description of the deer-in-headlights youth. Here’s to college and all the opportunities it promises!
Do check out my blog if you get time
A delicious autumn. Lovely.
Thank you for sharing!
Crystal
http://www.crystalspins.com
Love this! Like Eliot, I turn absolutely giddy when fall roles around. All the kids in my part of the world went back to school last week, leaving me depressed and sad and still waiting for a changed leaf. Oh well, I’ll settle for turkey in November. Afterall, I live in South Texas, the land of perpetual summer.
I always liked Autumn . . .the beginning of a new school year, the mournful train whistle you could hear in the early morning… every year you could start a new identity…I loved your post. Thanks. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Enjoy!
evelyngarone.com
There’s no place like a college campus on a Saturday afternoon in the fall.
http://toddpack.com
Thanks Todd! I agree with you. You have an interesting site yourself. I dig the Flying Squirrels and pop culture references.
Well now…this was just a lovely discussion of my favourite time of year. I enjoy autumn for the feelings and memories it evokes…every year meeting new friends and seeing old ones as I returned to school. The changing colours. Then as I got older, I realized I will one day enter the autumn of my life…and as my own colours change, and the leaves fall off, I hope that a soft blanket of snow covers me gently before the blizzards come for good.
Very nice, but I hope that winter is a long way off.
If forgetting TP is the worst thing you experience about a dorm bathroom your freshman year, I’d say you survived college quite well!
You’ve got a point there. Of course, I could fill a blog with other stories of failure and humiliation!
I love autumn and everything that comes with it: the cold rain, the leaves, crisp mornings, the sweaters and boots.
-Alessandra
Always something about Autumn, and I live in Florida – a location that doesn’t have very noticeable differences in seasons aside from a few degrees on the thermometer. My son is 18, starting his adult life; from the parental side of the equation, I feel both proud and sad. He’s always going to be my baby.
Laura
http://vintageminx.wordpress.com
http://culinaryspirits.wordpress.com
You are a gifted writer. I think you have “arrived”.
Thanks for the compliment. I hope you’re right!
just perfect…college in a nutshell…you try and be cool, but then get smacked by reality
hahhaha
i must say though, that now-a-days, there IS toilet paper in the dorm stalls
I’m glad you mentioned that Courtney. Turns out (believe it or not) that some colleges are once again debating the TP on campus issue. Get the story here in a couple of days.
Great post, I’m glad I stumbled across it. Thanks!
Excellent sentiment, death opening our eyes to see other things more clearly. Autumn has always been a catalyst for my muse as well.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
I love your post. I am a full time college student, but I am going to school online. I often wonder if I missed out on some incredible adventures and meeting some different and amazing people by not going to school right after high school and by choosing to start at 25 and do the online route. I love my life, but often I wonder of all the things in my life that might be different if I had gone to a University with a campus.
“The only thing that stays the same, is everything changes”
Thanks for stopping by. I suspect that had you gone to traditional university you might still have wondered from that point “what if I had gone to a different college?” We all second-guess the curious routes of life. All we can do is try to live the life we are meant to live. And yes, I believe in destiny.
Beautiful post! There is a certain amount of peace that arrives when the leaves fall and blanket the earth. Your post reminds me that change can be good…each new day brings opportunity. Glad your post was freshly pressed.
Love your post, I am only 15, but I absolutely love it..
Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it. Age doesn’t matter. You’re experiencing the same change of season as the rest of us, and tomorrow starts the rest of your life.
Fabulous. I also teach at a community college (are we in the same Wonderland?), and I plan to get my students responding to blogs this semester by using appropriate tone, modern standard English, and proper grammar.
I think they will love reading the memoir of a person looking back at his first year as a college student.
Thank you for the site. I’ll be back.
And if you’d like to read mine, you can find me at: Lessons From Teachers and Twits. Today I wrote about my favorite word: apricot — amongst other things.
http://rasjacobson.wordpress.com
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. You earned it.
xoxoRASJ
Im seriously loving this! Amazing:)
Nicley done,
I aspire to express myself as well as you manage, and to attack the greater task of expressing an idea so completely.
Thanks for the read.
Sparky.
Really enjoyed this post. I am a fellow lover of all things autumn – minus these pesky allergies!! I am about to start my first blog and am exploring those ‘freshly pressed’ for inspiration. Thanks for inspiring;) And, literal to your title, my dorm had suites…two rooms to a bathroom. We four girls always remembered to keep stocked up!
Who knew that Beauty and Wisdom could all be born from lacking TP??
Your words have really stirred hope…fear, but Hope as well…
Thank you. You may never really understand how much I Thank You…
Re-Blogged your Post, BTW.
Very good thoughts in your post. I too remember when I started college- the nervousness, and then after a few weeks of adjustment the sheer elation of managing on my own… to everyone starting on their college journey this fall- enjoy it- they say it is the best time of your life- and so much of that sentiment is true.
very poignant bit of writing, so honest, and just look at that title! haha!
see ya around!
it’s weird, just the other day my sister and i were talking about seasons (i don’t know why, considering we hardly experience any spectacular seasonal changes in our latitude…it’s just a hot hot summer that merges into cooler weather come december)and she said ‘just wait for spring’, and i said ‘but i prefer autumn!’. that got me thinking about the potential philosophy behind it….spring is about fresh beginnings and autumn is all about aging and winding up. or is it? i mean, why the hell would i prefer dying to living??? i didn’t buy it.
but your ‘rebirth’ theory is plausible. and so is the ‘change’ idea. why didn’t i think of it?? it’s so lovely in its hopefulness!
but here’s food for thought. the fact that seasons don’t change where i live perhaps reflects the bogged-down-ness and hopelessness that i often feel in my part of the world, where change (the desirable kind) rarely happens. perhaps that’s why i long for autumn….the kind you talk about
your post was a good start to my blog browsing. it made my mind wander in good ways
Thanks for your thoughts. Sometimes change is thrust upon us; sometimes we must find it. Still at other times we have to make the change.
Nice post. Reminded me of when I started college.
Is that Belushi in the pic with the toilet paper quote? I like your blog, though crude, if so!
Thank you for the beautiful writing and your amazing observations. My first time at college is forever imprinted on my mind so I can relate.
I really appreciate your kindness. Some memories are with us forever. Some involve bathroom stalls. That’s life:-)
good that there was no toilet paper
on freshly pressed you now appear
i enjoyed reading this entry
will take away, ‘learn to appreciate the journey’
That appreciation isn’t always the easiest to acquire, but we just keep trying.
Really liked your post, nice one!!
I also work at a college, which I love. Not just *a* college, but *my* college — my alma mater. I love this time of year. Fresh faces. New friendships. They remind me of what it was like to know that I had the answers to the universe.
And now that I’m in my 30′s and have come so far (read: don’t know a damned thing), this was the perfect read for me as I panic over a new beginning of my own — purchasing my first home. Thanks
And congrats on being FP’d!
Thanks a lot! Don’t panic.
I was in college and doctoral (MD) for seven years and I still haven’t figured what I really want out.
Great great post! Never thought there would be a day where autumn and (lack of) toilet paper concepts meshed perfectly.
I didn’t realize how strange a combination this was until I read all these comments. Thanks!
Discriminating move. Reminded me of when I started college.
Always bring some spare toilet paper no matter where you go on campus! Dorms and frat houses…they are all the same.
Good advice.
Well-written. Worthy of being reread and reread. I particularly found it poignant about being able to see more clearly once the leaves have died. It means a lot to me, now that I’m in the autumn of my life. Thank your for your thoughtful post.
You are very kind. I read a few of your pieces. Very nice. I especially like the letter to your third grade teacher. Keep writing.
I’m at the crossroad of a lot of things in my life right now. Thanks for your writing! It’s very inspiring and meditating to read.
Well said! A very poignant reminder for us that on the road to winter, there will always be a few roadside attractions worth looking at. If there is one thing that I can’t help but take away from what you wrote it’s this: you must be a hell of a teacher.
You, sir, are awfully kind. Hopefully my students agree.
Aww loved this!
Absolutely adored your post…. probably one of the best I’ve read on here!
Wow, that is great to hear! Thanks a lot.
Incredible writing and a picture of Belushi to boot? Truly an amazing post. No wonder it was Pressed. Congrats, and I’ll definitely be subscribing.
And thanks for checking out my Pressed post last week at Some Species Eat Their Young (The Age of Bike Riding and Ramps). I’m hoping my blog helps me enjoy the journey.
Take care,
Chase
PS – I’m a middle school teacher.
I’m glad I read this, even late to the party as I am. Autumn has always been my favorite season.
I’m glad you read this too. See how I share?
xo
I’m glad you reposted this. This is good stuff. Who knew someone could wax so eloquently about being stranded in the bathroom?
I had an introspective morning as I observed the approach of “delicious autumn” – flaming bushes and trees beginning their yearly death. How I love the burst of color and the changing of the season.