The Return to the Real World

The last night in Shepherdstown was one I'll never forget.  I've been back for just over a week now, and I'm still daydreaming about what a hilariously entertaining final night I had.  I didn't realize how much I was going to miss everyone until we were all congregated in the back room of our favorite hangout singing "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" at the top of our lungs (with our favorite professor in our midst).  I got to meet up with new friends, including my friend from my Aquatic Science classes, and talked about life with a friend who is California-bound.  We sang songs, had a few drinks, played some hilarious rounds of "Never have I Ever," and at the end of the night had some extremely emotional farewells.  Those were the worst part, I'll not lie.  It was hard watching my new best friend walk down the snow covered streets of Shepherdstown, leaving me behind even though I feel like I'm doing the one doing that to her by having officially graduated (I got the confirmation letter today).  


Here at home in Elkins, walking the snowy streets after dark is something I love to do.  Most of the time hardly any cars are out, and I can walk in the hushed silence as a blanket of snow mutes the outside world.  I love going to the river and watching the moonlight on the rapids from the foot bridges.  

After my friends left that last night, I wasn't ready to go back to my dorm, and I ended up walking the snowy streets of Shepherdstown with an old friend.  It was strange, entertaining, and, I feel, highly appropriate/borderline classically ironic for my last night in town.  I literally saw a bit of everything from my 4 1/2 year college career in that one night.  

Saying goodbye to friends the next day was difficult, more difficult than my trip home at 12:30 the next day (NEVER try to traverse Martinsburg at lunch hour, especially on a Friday- it took forever to get out of town).  When I finally did make it home, I just wanted to curl up with my lovely cat, Ginny, and sleep for a few days.

Alas, that was not an option, but I did get to spend time with my family, see my pony (and start a new form of training with her), visit with friends, rearrange my room, decorate the inside of the house for Christmas, clean out the flowerbeds in the backyard, decorate the exterior of our house for Christmas, and begin my new job as a bookkeeper at a bank.  Yeah, I've been slightly busy since my return home, but my rearranged room is awesome!  It even has Christmas lights. :)

Speaking of returns, if I have one more person tell me, "Welcome to the real world," I fear I will no longer be responsible for my actions (again, just figurative language of course).  What a lot of the people I've spoken to do not seem to understand is that as new college graduates we are not taking our first unsteady steps into the foreign and blinding world of bills, vehicle payments, and career opportunities.  Most students work at least part-time to maintain an income while taking courses. The best friend I left last week?  She has a house, a car, a job an hour away, and two dogs in addition to a family that lives in the area.  Almost all of those things cost money at one time or another.  Oh, yeah, and she's an amazing student....I mentioned that right?  Another good friend of mine that just graduated with me in December is raising her kids at the same time.  Life has changed quite a bit since most of my well-wishers have been in school (those that went in the first place), and I don't think they realize how insulting their congratulatory cliche can be to those that have busted their butts to afford the loan payments they will be saddled with for the next 10 years (minimum) of their lives.  It's not a welcome to the real world I need-- it's a welcome back.  

And speaking of being back and continuing the work I was a part of before/during college, I have started a new training style with Kit that with only one session under our belt has already proven entertaining and successful.  It's a type of liberty training, and basically all I'm doing is lunging her without any ropes or halters involved.  I say it was entertaining because Kit pitched an almighty fit at the beginning of the session, rearing, bucking, and loping around the paddock before settling into nice trot and circling me.  By the end, I could move the circle and she'd keep me at the center.  She'd also come into the middle when I signaled to her and went back out in the opposite direction when I sent her away.  I was impressed with how good she made me look. 

It wasn't without her fits though, which made me laugh and made for some really great photos.  At the end of our session, my friend and I took the horses out for a short stroll, and I rode bareback-- my first time out on the road/trails bareback since I got this horse almost four years ago.  It was quite an achievement. 

I'm happy to be home but sad to leave my friends behind.  I'm determined to return to Shepherdstown as much as I possibly can during the spring semester (it's going to take a while before I stop referring to the year in terms of semesters).  Until then, I wish all of my friends over there, and all of you reading this piece from wherever you are, a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or a Happy December the 25th, depending on what/if you celebrate. How about a girl and her cat around the Christmas tree to top off this holiday blog post?