**Twenty One Lessons Learned : ))

In celebration of my 21^st birthday and new... “responsible adult” status, I’m going to share with you some of the new wisdoms I have acquired in this past week.  For those of you who know me, you have to expect that a good portion of these lessons have come by way of goofing something up.  But I’m cool with that.  I shake my head at myself several times a day and have learned through the years to have a good laugh at most of the things I do… : ))

 First and foremost, I have MOSTLY… almost… figured out the bus system between Albright and PSU Berks.  But I need to carry a schedule with me.  The last bus I took was the wrong one.  It landed me over a mile and a half from my destination.  Luckily it was a great day for walking.  Because with a heavy backpack it is a LOT of walking.  As a matter of fact, I googled that distance to check to see if my first estimate of 10 miles was a bit off….Apparently so.  I also learned that there is a transfer at the bus station and that it is really very important to not count on your bus arriving at 9:10am to catch your next bus back to campus at 9:20.  Because traffic happens.  And if bus drivers forget to make stops, they WILL go back and get that person even if it takes the bus 25 minutes to do this… Travel is never reliable…I should know this.  I flew to Argentina twice by myself, and was once laid over in Atlanta for 24 hours because of a mechanical delay in my first flight that caused me to miss my connection.  Somehow I forgot this.  Now I remember again.  : )    By the way, my layover in Atlanta landed me my very own suite in the Westin Hotel complete with a luxuriously  fluffy white robe, 2 plasma flat screen TV’s and all the Starbucks I could drink….the bus station does not offer these amenities during a layover.  

Scheduling.   I also learned I need to get an appointment book to keep track of it all.  To learn this one I had to reach a state of overwhelm this week with homework, appointments, and new job duties.  This epiphany occurred on Tuesday when I realized that I had read, very efficiently might I add, the completely wrong chapter for a class and it was the day we had a pop quiz on the chapter I did not read.   I dealt with my devastation by admitting to myself that I need a better way to keep track of things.  I have a scheduler on both my I-pod and my Palm device, but honestly, I need to see the whole week laid out before me on paper to really visualize it and keep it all in order.  Otherwise I get cranky.  Apparently I also learned that I do not take failure well.  Well, okay, I already knew that one. 

Now, there were some things I did not have to learn the hard way.  Some things I got by listening and experiencing…I learned that when you get new, really great cowboy boots, unless you scuff them up on the pavement, you are falling on your butt when you hit something smooth.  Glad I was told this before I headed down a grassy bank to the car.  I learned that it is totally worth the initial embarrassment to sit on the saddle at Texas Roadhouse when they announce your birthday.  I learned that I can be a bit stubborn, I am NOT always right, that it is incredibly awesome to sit on a dorm floor at 2:30am eating leftover steak, and that my mother can absolutely find the best shopping deals out there. I learn, over and over what true chivalry is.  I learned that not only can he cook, but he can bake, all while dressed up in a beautiful shirt and tie for my birthday.  I learned that though I am 21 and completely happy where I am, I still tear up when I have to say goodbye to my parents after a visit and probably always will.     I learned that even though you may sometimes lose your way, or life doesn’t go as planned, you just have to step back, reassess and grab the controls. Just plan a bit better, expect craziness to ensue, don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself, be amazed, love and cherish those moments, and rush forward with no fear….