No Time Left for You

So, as I was morosely pulling out of my driveway this morning to go to my last class, my last final, my last time parking in the FSU garage, my last time as an undergrad, a song came on the oldies radio station that really put a spin on my mood and depressive thought pattern. "No Time" (1970's) by The Guess Who. Here is the song (start at 0:40) and the beginning lyrics:

No time left for you
On my way to better things
No time left for you
I found myself some wings
No time left for you 
Distant roads are calling me
No time left for you.


Coincidence? Perhaps. But it totally got me out of my I-don't wanna-grow-up(!) funk. It's been great Tallahassee, but it's time for me to be "On my way to better things." 


I thought I was going to shed a tear on my way out of class, but honestly...I just felt relieved. My stressful, difficult bio final was o-v-e-r and I knew I did well. As I was walking back to my car, a large, orientation flock of students walked by me. The kids looked so fresh-faced, so skinny and wide-eyed. I felt a small pang in my stomach as nostalgia crept in...

My brother visiting me in my freshman Dorm Room

Me and my dorm roomie

But, after a quick bout of nostalgia and good memories, surprisingly, all I could think about at that moment was all of the aggravation I had been put through in the parking garage over the years. And how many times I'd walked this same path really not wanting to go to class or dreading an exam or sweating half my body weight. I had felt for the past year or so like a whale trying to be fit into a goldfish bowl. I had outgrown FSU. I thought to myself, "You know what, Erin? You're ready to get the hell outta here! Don't make yourself feel badly for wanting to move on!" 

So, when I pulled up to the stop sign that delineated my campus from the real world, undergrad from alumn, I drove off without a tear. I'm thankful for the amazing memories and people I've met, but more importantly, I'm thankful for not having to hear ghetto rap music at all hours of the night and feel like the oldest, fattest person grocery shopping at "Club Publix." 


I'm ready to edge myself towards adulthood (even if it starts out in my dusty, childhood room) and to take my next big step in becoming a healthcare provider. Classroom today, surgical O.R. tomorrow!!