I absolutely adore making plans for my life... and then changing them.
Seriously, what is more fun than saying, "I'm going to take Swahili classes this Spring!" only to decide a month later that you'd rather take the money for those classes and put it toward a week-long vacation in Fresno? Honestly, I think very little.
I tend to think of myself as being fairly sensible and I like to make most of my major life decisions based on logic, but more than I care to admit, I let my stifled whimsy get the best of me.
Let's go all the way back to high school...
Ever since I was 10 years old, I had planned on going to Butler University for music (just go with it). When I was 18, I auditioned at both Butler and IU for vocal performance. Ultimately, I decided to go to Indiana University. Now, I tell people I chose IU because it was far less expensive. Well, yeah, that's sort of true. The story Behind the Music is a little different (don't you miss that show?).
Right across the street from my dorm was a pizza place, a music store, a coffee shop and crappy Chinese takeout. End of story.
When I graduated from IU, I decided to travel. So, I planned on moving to Poland to teach English. Why Poland? Pierogies, naturally. I told everyone that's where I was going, my parents got me Rosetta Stone for my birthday so I could start learning Polish and I was applying for jobs left and right.
Somewhere in the middle of January, my friend Sonya convinced me to move to China and live with her in Qingdao. I thought, "Well, at least I'd know someone!" About 6 weeks later, I was on a plane.
About 6 months later, I was living in the Netherlands, making plans to go to grad school in Wales for linguistics. Why not? I mean, I love words, I love language and I loved the UK. Not long after that, I found a website that sparked my interest in counseling. From there, I started researching and decided I would go to grad school (in the U.S.) for counseling.
Some people would call this flighty or flaky. I refute both labels, thank you very much.
I prefer the crunchier, more granola take on all of this. I like to think one plan leads me to my next altered plan and so forth. This is why it doesn't bother me at all to change my personal goals multiple times in a fortnight. I think my parents find it exhausting (who could blame them?) but they're so used to it by now that I find it barely fazes them when I introduce a new idea.
Is there a reason I'm explaining my tendency to change my mind as quickly as Anne Heche changes her sexual preference?
Of course.
Should I get into my most desired graduate program, I'm considering deferring until 2010. The logic behind this decision is that a) the economy is in the crapper, b) I'm already in debt up to my eyeballs and c) it's not like there would be a bunch of jobs waiting for me once I graduated anyway. That is the common sense.
There is, however, a much better, less substantial reason I've been toying with this idea. I shared it with a good friend last night.
Sara: I'm considering deferring college so I can -blankety blank blank blank-.
Lisa: Yeah, you would.
I'm withholding my whimsical reason right now, but I'm sure it will come to the surface soon enough.
In the meantime, I encourage all of you to go to a Potbelly restaurant (if you have one nearby) and get a milkshake. If your day has been a little less thick, creamy or delicious, then I have found the solution. Inhale one of these and not only will you have a cathartic ice cream headache, but you'll be pleasantly nauseated as well. And you will not be sorry.
