Pre-Graduate School Thoughts

I begin graduate school on Monday.

I, Hayden Sanders, begin the 17th year of my education at Eastern Washington University as a 1st year graduate student in clinical psychology on Monday. I have thus spent if one includes preschool years around 80% of my life in school. This seems sort of a strange thing, as I know upon the end of my life it will only count for around 20% of it.

So as I enter what might be the terminus of my formal education I try and keep perspective.

When I was seven years old, being told I could not attend a birthday party because of saucily back talking to my parents, no surprise, it was the end of the world. Of course because at that time that was my entire world.

I try then, to remind myself that while now my world is school, concerns over finances, working two jobs, and current personal problems whatever they may be are fleeting.

This task of eliminating irrational stress is of course far more easily said than done. And I try to remind myself by saying such things "I really am very young". Many people my own age might say such things as "Carpe Diem!" But I must say I am an old soul, and to "Seize the Day!" is a young thought. When I will most likely live at least into my eighties and possibly nineties it seems silly not to see things in the scheme of my whole life and not just the now.

We shall see how this serves me in the two years to come. For I, like most, am nervous about the unknown. It is so easy to be captivated by excitement and stress of the now.