The Dad has historically been a man of few words and most of those were a bit salty for
most tastes. However, the happier he
gets, the chattier he gets and other than oversharing medical issues related to
his nether regions while I am trying to eat breakfast, it typically isn’t
horrifying or surprising. However, this
morning he proceeded to inform me of his time in Germany while in the Army.
It seems he has a
past in supply and demand. The same way
Al Capone had a past in used furniture.
Apparently my father was a loan shark; I’m not sure why I’m surprised. Tales of his sketchiness were told throughout
my childhood. Whether they were meant
for my ears or not I don’t know, but they were shared. It helps to have a father who, when
whispering, simply drops his voice an octave with no discernible change in
volume. Sotto voce to him is “that thing I ate at that eye-talian place
that one time, right?”
What does this
have to do with your Dad being all sketchy in Bavaria, you ask? Well, it got me to thinking about life and
college and after the last blog my niece Payton and I had a wonderful
conversation about how she can benefit from my mistakes that I so eloquently refer
to as ‘experience’.
Now, I don’t see
her on a daily basis; goodness knows it’s more like quarterly at best, but as
she is on my phone plan and we share an iTunes account, I am privy to certain
things about her. Some of them are
bothersome, such as an alarming number of songs by Jason Aldean and something
referred to as Cross Canadian Ragweed, which sounds like what you would take
Claritin to rid yourself of. As I have
never heard of them, I am assuming she has downloaded everything they ever
recorded including, quite possibly, a sixth grade recital piece.
One of the good
things is I have been receiving the daily reminders she sets for herself. They have made me so very proud. Just this past week she recommended that I
“forget about everything and just be happy, with your head held high. Never let your tiara fall” and “Remember God
said not to worry, so don’t. Give it all
to him.” She is an amazing young woman,
right?
So I’ve been compiling a number of lists in my
head and this one is all about things I wish someone had told me before I
started college. So, here is Uncle
Dusty’s Freshman 15:
2.
Junior and community colleges are a great
alternative for many situations, including financial. Great people come from community colleges, such
as yours truly. If you don’t think I’m
great, why are you reading this blog?
3.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take an 8 AM class
during your freshman year. You are not
used to policing your sleeping habits and dealing with all that freedom. Janis Joplin wasn’t referring to skipping
classes in that Me and Bobby McGee song and unless you have a recording
contract, you need a good GPA.
4.
Be prepared to be met. There are hundreds if not thousands of
students on your campus and, just like you, they want to meet people and make
friends. They are as nervous as
you. Just say “Hi”. If you can’t think of anything else to say,
remember everyone has a major, a need for caffeine/food and a favorite/hated
class/teacher. Remember, if Ron hadn’t
said “Hi” to Harry on the Hogwarts train, they wouldn’t have had 8 hit movies.
5.
This is the only time in your life where it is
safe to consume Ramen Noodles and that much pizza. Enjoy.
6.
You will do embarrassing things; things that
cause you shame. It’s part of growing up. Do not share confessions or photos of that
shame with Facebook. Future employers
and potential spouses will see them. And
if you wouldn’t tell your mother about it, you know you shouldn’t show pictures
of it to anyone else.
7.
Remember you are worth more than gold. Never date/befriend someone who mocks you for
standing up for what you feel is right.
You can always have a lively discussion with people – it’s one of the
best parts of college life. But don’t
succumb to the pressure to compromise your principles. If nothing else, remember that God, your
mother and I will always love you. No
matter what.
8.
Regardless of your intended major, take at least
one business class, like management or accounting or business computer
applications. Everyone can use some
amount of business savvy and most jobs require it.
9.
If there is an event on campus, GO! You can meet all kinds of great people at
random events. Worst case scenario, there will be refreshments and if it’s
really weird or awful, then you have a great story to tell your new friends.
10.
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to
learn or earn. There are many
scholarships and student work positions.
The Dean of Students Office is the best place to get this info.
11.
If you want to be in the yearbook, join the
staff. Who do you think selects the
photos, said the former editor with his picture on every other page.
12.
Find your niche by joining a club or
organization. I can assure you
regardless of your interests there is at least one other person who likes the
same things. If there isn’t a group that
interests you, develop your leadership skills by starting one.
13.
Stay true to your faith. I know it sometimes seems difficult to be a
Christian and have fun but the biggest mistakes I made in my life were made
during the times I was running away from God.
14.
According to police, if something is within your
reach, it is legally yours. Choose your
friends wisely and don’t do anything illegal.
If you have to wonder if it’s illegal, it probably is. And remember, the police are not your mother
or me; they will not be swayed by tears, except possibly in relation to
speeding tickets. But only if you are female.
Males who cry when stopped for speeding get tazed.
15.
Don’t be afraid; college is incredible. However, if you ever find yourself afraid,
don’t let it stop you from being amazing.
God bless you, Uncle Dusty! Wish I'd have read that myself before heading out into the wide, wide world. Might I add to Payton -
ReplyDelete1 - If you're ever starving and it's the middle of the night, depending on where you go to school, there's a time difference in your favor between you and California - I'll bet Uncle Dusty would be willing to spot you some pizza money - and he can probably do so online.
And 2 - When you go out for retail therapy, ask yourself, will I want this tomorrow? in a week? in a year? Will I have to give this away if I move? And, is the price they're asking worth what I could do with the money by using it some other way? You'll spend lots less money on junk that way (although from what I've seen - you have exquisite taste)...
oh, one other thing - it is possible to live in the dorm and NOT pay for a meal plan. If you never eat in the cafeteria, use your meal plan when you are out and about. If you can't do that, don't pay for it - it is a huge amount of money for "cafeteria food".