Friday, September 3, 2010

Carefree College Days - OM [one moment] meet up - #20

I was driving from one appointment to another in Providence when I cut through the campus of Brown University. Of course, it was between classes. So, I found myself sitting at a crosswalk gaggles of college students pouring across the street. They never looked up, never stopped, just followed the crowd much like at a cattle crossing. Totally self absorbed.  At first, I was annoyed. Then, I was struck with déjà vu.

I remember myself wandering through the quads only worrying about what bar I was going to that evening and with which friends. I remember being very self conscious about how I looked, what I wore, and what impression I gave. Oh, yeah, and studying. I had a tremendous amount of freedom and time then but was still wrapped up in my own little world. I don't recall really thinking then about myself at my current age now. 

I was overcome with a sense of 'look where I am, who I am, and what I've accomplished.' It was nice to realize that I made it 'here' unscathed. Everything I was wrapped up in then has vanished and I like how my story has unfolded.  The best is yet to come.  This was a satisfying moment for me.


* Brown Opening Convocation



om [one moment] meet upWhat was your 'one moment' this week? What took you out of your present moment and made you see things a little differently?

Share in the blog comments here, on your own blog (and link back below) or on my Facebook fan page. If you are on Twitter, I've started a hash tag - #omMeetup so that we can converse if we'd like. We'd love to hear your moment this week!



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7 comments:

  1. EVERY time I get annoyed... I deja vu myself.... I think, Oh yeah... I did that too... probably with more attitude as well!

    We're not getting older... just better!!

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  2. Wow, I love this! "I was overcome with a sense of 'look where I am, who I am, and what I've accomplished.' It was nice to realize that I made it 'here'."

    It's funny how when we are young, really are whole worlds are ahead of us. Our heads and hearts are filled with so many dreams. And then one day, you just wake up and you're there. And even in the midst of our accomplishments, we are bold in knowing that more will happen, just like the ones before, in a flash.

    This is so encouraging for me right now as I'm starting a new adventure. I just know a few years from now, I'll be having a moment just like this one.

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  3. I can so relate to this memory of selfabsortion at college, sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself that the future would be even better than I could imagine (not that I even cared about the future then).

    My moment is from last sunday when my parents visited and my son was enjoying grandma's reading.

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  4. I love college students. They give me hope. I was a misguided student who made poor decisions, but through it all I somehow learned the critical thinking skills needed to lead a happy, productive life. Great observation. Happy Fall!

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  5. hello!

    what a fun and thoughtful post.

    i always chuckle about streets like thayer how when you're a pedestrian you're so unaware of cars but once you're back in your car, it's like: why don't these people watch where they're going!?

    happy weekend
    happy back-to-school

    xo
    elyse

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  6. My eldest son has ended up at the same university that I went to 30 years ago. It wasn't planned ... but it was his 1st choice among all of the universities he looked at. On Labour Day weekend, I drove him up and helped him settle in to his new bachelor pad. It was wonderful walking around the campus and city reminiscing about old times. I have no regrets about how my life has unfolded either.
    I'm here from Blog Frog.

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  7. Karyn, how wonderful to experience the campus again via your son. What a lovely shared adventure between both of you.

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