So yesterday I made Brussels sprouts, which isn’t very exciting in itself, but I didn’t follow a recipe. I just threw them in a skillet sprayed some olive oil on them and prayed that they would survive, luckily they did and they actually weren’t bad. My point is I didn’t worry about the outcome, I just did it.
And I was thinking, “Hey, life should be more like that!”
I want to do things just because I want to and not worry about whether or not I’ll get paid or be in trouble (with the law or worse my Mom. They’re the only things that hold real sway.) It’s much more fun to do things without all the hassle of worrying. Does it matter that I just graduated from college and am now babysitting two children? Not really. I don’t feel any less educated or feel that I’m letting all “my potential” go to waste. I still have potential. I will always have potential, but that’s for me to develop and act on, not something for society to impose on me. Having a college education is something that I can’t ever lose. No one can take it away from me and I can’t un-earn it. But it’s just another tally in the long list of things that make me me. It doesn’t define me, it just goes in the big stew pot of Kelly along with high school grad, age-out 4-Her, West Virginian, lover of books and knitting.
In four days I’ll turn 23. It’s exciting to think about, not nearly as much of a milestone as 18 or 21, but still impressive. I’ve managed to survive this long, haven’t killed anyone or myself and in some cases that is probably a very big accomplishment.
Yesterday was also exciting because I got to ride a horse. Not for the first time in my life but for the first time in a probably a decade. I am going to be learning how to ride this fall/winter in exchange for helping to exercise the horses. Riding is something I’ve wanted to do since I was little. I would have been the most ecstatic little girl if I had received a pony for my birthday or Christmas. And now that I’m an adult I get to make awesome choices like this!
lifeisjustduckie 
That’s a good attitude. Back when I was an undergrad (at WVU) majoring in Latin and minoring in Anthropology, I was often told that I was wasting my parents money because I would have a degree that I couldn’t “use.” I’d just tell folks to say that to my dad, because my dad would tell them I was getting an education, and that’s the most useful thing there is. 🙂 Not a day of my life has gone by since my graduation that I haven’t used my college education.