Skim milk out of a Starbucks cup

2013-12-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

So, here I sit. My university issued desk is cluttered by used notebooks and folders from the semester that is only one Biology final away from ending. A lubriderm bottle of lotion, lint roller, headphones, candy wrappers, Febreze bottle, and the Starbucks cup from today's cappuccino that has been rinsed and refilled with skim milk. What? Don't judge me. I only drink Starbucks because it's on campus and my meal plan covers it. And it's delicious. Over priced, yes, but delicious. And no, I don't drink the typical 18 year old whatever-my-race-is Starbucks treat either, I drink real coffee. Oh, wait.. you're judging me because I rinsed it and filled it with skim milk. No, wait, you're judging me because I drink skim milk. Or are you judging me because I just drink milk in general? Whatever, you're probably judging me for a lot of reasons.Would it be better if my coffee cup was from some small town mom and pop shop? Yeah, it would be. I agree with you there.

I learned a lot of things during my first semester of college. I think one of the most shocking things.. No, the most shocking thing was that by the end of my four years here my parents aren't even going to know me. And no, I don't mean that they're going to suddenly become plagued with a rough case of amnesia and forget my existence. Wouldn't that be scary? To wake up and forget where all of your money had gone for the past 18 years? HA! Anyways, I am going to transform into someone who is really their own person. And my parents will always look at me as their precious baby girl, Honey Bunny, Mort, Mortenella, the list goes on. They will probably never see me as an adult with sustenance. But, I have seriously awesome parents and even if they did get that terrible case of amnesia, I wouldn't go anywhere.

How did I learn this about myself and about my folks?

I was having a conversation with one of my professors about life'n'stuff, and I think the conversation was originally about group work. Jeez, I hate group work. I've always been the person who people argue over because everyone wants me as their group leader. Okay, that's a little far fetched, but you get the idea. I always get stuck doing everything and earning myself and everyone else a respectable grade. And that is totally my own fault. People are willing to help, but I am so damn picky about the way things need to be done that I choose to work solo, and then bitch about the fact that I'm working solo. No one is perfect.

So, my unnamed professor begins to tell me that life isn't easy, and college isn't easy, nothing is easy. And all of it changes you. You completely weather and erode into a new person by the end of whatever journey you're on, and mine just happens to be college. Life is a compilation of many journeys, I've always thought. Nothing is set in stone, and you can pick a new journey anytime you want to. And I mean, literally, anyone, at any time in their life, can pick a new journey. Yes, some things may tie a person down to one specific spot with specific duties, and a complete uproot to someplace new with an entirely new life mission might make you a selfish ass-hole, especially if you have a spouse, or children, or both. But lets be honest, there are so many different things that can be definitive of where you are and what you're doing, and that is OKAY. A journey doesn't have to be an impromptu flight to a remote monastery in order to "find yourself'". A journey could be losing ten pounds, learning a Japanese number game, attending a biweekly yoga class, or waking up early enough to watch the sunrise. I personally like chocolate, crosswords, and cycling. And I love sunrises.

No, improving your flexibility, losing a dress size or learning how to organize numbers into tiny boxes is not a life changer.

But it could be.

Catalysts.

You could become the biggest loser, the weekly yoga instructor at your local YMCA, or a Sudoku master.

You could start waking up every single day to watch the sunrise.

And even if such dramatic changes are not the results from your new journey, you're still a different person.

You're not Lisa/Mark from Seattle/Orlando with a Bachelor's/Masters in Communications/Astrophysics anymore.

You're Lisa/Mark from Seattle/Orlando with a Bachelor's/Masters in Communications/Astrophysics that can play some mad Sudoku and put your legs behind your head.

I can't do either.

So, Mom, Dad, my name is still Morgan.. But I'm changing. Because of the most incredible journey I am truly blessed to be on.

I hope that you can get to know me in four years.

Which way is up?

Skim milk out of a Starbucks cup