Brain Stuffing from the Frumpy Sock Monkey
College isn’t so hard. Or is it?
They say that starting your first year of college is the time in your life where you’ll do the most changing. Most freshmen move out of their parent’s house and into a new city, start fresh with a new roommate, take on new responsibilities, and try to make new friends. All at once, you’re expected to be a grownup with studies, bills, rent, and groceries. In time, these tasks become less and less daunting.
Sometimes, the hardest part of starting college is not getting used to an independent lifestyle. It’s trying to mesh new changes with your closest friends.
College is an outlet for many things, and for a lot of monkeys, it’s the outlet for becoming who you truly are. Independence unearths your weaknesses, and the will to survive develops the solutions. Your studies become important because you enjoy them. Monkeys sitting next to you talk about subjects with admiration, and you can’t help but become interested in their outlook. Hey, your homework might even consume you, because you want it to. Studying is the new, ripe banana!
You may just find yourself at the starting line of the rest of your life — a life you didn’t imagine for yourself in high school.
Your friends may not.
Too many friendships are lost because someone has “changed.” This is especially unfortunate when you’re changing into a better person. On the flip side, if you’re the one who have friends who are “changing,” my advice is to understand why. Have they changed for the better? Is what they are doing beneficial to themselves, and to others? Are their choices creating opportunities to move forward with their education? Their career? Their life?
Are you getting left behind because you think you’re still sixteen in high school?
The bottom line is that every new chapter in life should bring change in you. Why? Because growing into the person you are is always the right direction to unveiling your best potential. It keeps things from remaining stagnant. And, you know what, it brings a lot of fun with it.
And in time, your old monkey friends may see what the hype is all about. But in the meantime, don’t be afraid of discovering new things, or experimenting with different subjects, interests, friends, and hobbies.
What do you think? Comment below, or send your ideas to Commuter@LinnBenton.edu.
I’m excited about your new column Jenn!
Thanks! Me too!
It’s great to see that your column is getting some well-deserved attention, Jenn!
It’s an interesting question that you bring up in this article. Sometimes, it is the new chapter in life that brings about change in us, but more often I think it is the change in us that brings about the new chapter. It depends on the circumstances for each person, but no matter how the change comes about, when we start down a different path for any reason, each new chapter can inspire us or require us to make unexpected changes, and those around us may not be ready or willing to make the same choices.
I like to think of our choices and changes in life as contributing to the person we are BECOMING. We may sustain a particular path for a period of time, and follow a purposeful direction along the way, but unless we deliberately choose to stand still, (or opt not to move) we are generally in a constant state of BECOMING at all times.
I love how your writing makes me think harder about whatever you write about…Keep going….John H.
Thank you, John. Its my greatest passion to discuss life with people, and so when my writing can evoke some sort of feeling or thought, this is exactly what I want. Thank you for commenting and for your kind words.
This article is an important one for young and older readers alike. Change for the better can come when we least expect it, in ourselves and in our friends. Trying our best to understand and searching for the true meaning of our reactions to this change, is one of the best gifts we can give to the people in our lives. I like how you’ve approached this subject.
@sparksinshadow Thank you so much for commenting. It really is one of the best gifts we can give. Take care.