I've been off the blogosphere for a while. No particular reason, I actually have three drafts sitting, waiting to be published. I can't seem to finish my writing these days.
M left for the beach yesterday. Not for vacation, but to work. For the first time, she's living somewhere outside of Tuscaloosa, and she's earning money. She's with people she doesn't know. Completely out of her comfort zone.
Makes me think of myself 19 years ago going to Ellicott City, Maryland for a co-op job. I flew there, no car, and commuted 30 min from Ellicott City to Fort Meade with friends every day to work for the Defense Department. It was a thrilling idea after living in Alabama so long. Also, the idea of the projects I could work on for the defense department was extremely exciting! It was more than I could imagine. But the first few days...it was lonely. I missed my family, my friends, my classes. My roommate, Jen, was from Pennsylvania and was sweet, but she was quiet like me and I didn't know how to talk to her. We had an apartment and shared a room. There was one other bedroom, and there were two other girls in there; one was Karyn and there was another girl whose name I can't remember. Karyn was also from Pennsylvania and was firecracker-friendly. She had a smile that made you smile back. The other girl, let's call her Mary, had a boyfriend and prepared dinners for herself and her boyfriend every night. She scared me a little, she was kind of intense. We lived together, made our way to our jobs, and got to know each other, slowly.
That semester in Maryland was one of the most eye-opening times in my life. I made friends like I'd never made before - and I used to really have a hard time with making friends. I learned to live on my own. I had to figure out how to talk to people and make them listen to me. I worked, I earned money, and I even saved money. I met professionals and worked with them. I had my eyes opened on what really happens in the government. It was also at the same time as the Gulf War so I was able to take in what security was really like during a war on a military base. Finally, I had my first date, which led to us being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that eventually led to marriage.
For M, I'm praying for an amazing summer. Sure, I'd love for even one of the things that happened to me to happen to her, but I'd also love for her to have her own life-changing experiences. Learning to live on your own does that to you.
