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Red Hat Society plans luncheon

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Four WVC qualifiers each lose tight 3A matches at state wrestling meet

<p>With about 70 calendar days until graduation (not that I&#8217;m counting), I see the light at the end of the tunnel. That date is finally starting to seem real, as well as the freedom that comes with it.</p><p>And that prospective freedom is a little bit dizzying.</p><p>When I think about how much of the rest of my life is ahead of me, and the endless, incredibly important choices to be made throughout, I actually get nauseous.</p><p>It seems like a good thing, and I suppose it is. But it&#8217;s terrifying.</p><p>In my first column, I talked about how important this stage in my life would be. I discussed that this is where the planning really begins, and how wonderfully exciting that can be.</p><p>Now that I&#8217;m closer to that, it&#8217;s a little more daunting.</p><p>I&#8217;m actually thinking about things like if (or when) I might want to start a family, the role that graduate school might take, where that will fit in to my career timeline, and other frightening adult things that I&#8217;ve never considered in great detail before.</p><p>Why are these things consuming my thoughts? Why can&#8217;t I just focus on my next exam?</p><p>Sometimes it just feels like it&#8217;s all happening so fast. It feels like, if I don&#8217;t think about it right now, the ability to choose my path will pass me by.</p><p>To make matters scarier, regardless of how much I&#8217;ve grown and changed, part of me is still my child-self who just wants to watch TV and hang out with my friends, and not worry about paying rent.</p><p>Here&#8217;s the kicker: I am my child-self, just a little older and more experienced. Every adult is just an older version of their child-self with more experience (yes, it is scientifically proven that all adults are just children who have grown up). I just need to do some more adjusting.</p><p>I&#8217;ve heard this from a lot of my friends. They feel like when they were 16, they blinked and suddenly had to start paying for groceries and electricity.</p><p>Almost everyone who has had the privilege of graduating high school or college has gone through this, while many have to adjust to adulthood even earlier. I would venture to say that even the most successful people have experienced this kind of necessary adjustment.</p><p>That fact can lead to a number of conclusions.</p><p>It can certainly be a good thing. If everyone has gone through this, so can you. If you&#8217;re like me and have wonderful, supportive parents, friends and professors, you have people to ask for guidance.</p><p>On the flip-side, there is a lot of pressure there. It&#8217;s tempting to fret over whether one wrong move can destroy entire life plans. To me, this feels like an opportunity to embrace the freedom of learning how to be a functioning person who accomplishes my goals, while also acknowledging how important my choices are.</p><p>It&#8217;s really easy to say that; now I just need to start adjusting.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Toni Pennello</p><p>tpennello@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Toni Pennello is a Wilkes University Senior who works in the Times Leader newsroom.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

College Life: Adjustment in transition to adulthood scary but necessary