On the way to your calling or...

During pre-year RA training, there are lots of seminars, guest speakers, and topics that we discuss. During one of those discussions, one of the slightly less than memorable speakers said..."Are you on the way to your calling or are you practicing your calling on the way?" Are we in school or whatever stage in our lives just simply to get through it and have a better chance at achieving our dreams later? Or are we living every day with passion for what we love and what we believe in, no matter where we are or where we end up?

A good friend of mine is on the edge of transferring to another school because she thinks people aren't being real at Grove City College and no one wants to discuss deep personal things in their life. This might be in part because there are fewer people that share her kind of dreams here and therefore she feels alone. She has a good point to be aware of though. I would stake a bet that most of us let homework, school, and similar items take over at least 75% of our conversations. There might be a deeper problem here though, do we know what we are passionate about? Or are we even passionate about anything? Do we have role models, aspirations and dreams? Maybe no one that reads this will be able to relate, but this is how I am feeling.

As a freshman, nobody warned me to make it count. Nobody told me, "You're gonna hate your classes and forget why you're there. You're gonna pick whatever classes you hear are the easiest and worry constantly about getting a good grade. You're gonna forget about learning and focus on memorizing what you can before the exam." If I had heard that I would have been more cautious...or would I? Sometimes I wonder if coming to Grove City was a stupid move. I'm not someone who worries about getting the best grades and as long as I keep my grades above a 3.0 I feel satisfied. Sometimes I think Grove City is too hard for someone who wants to learn and experience, but not achieve the best grades. But sometimes I think a college like this needs people who are like me and even more extreme to be able to balance things out.

Maybe the professors could have made what we were learning more applicable, or maybe I am so confused as to what I want to do with my life that I don't know how to apply what I learn. Was college a waste of time, money, and skill? I hope it wasn't and I know there were some larger life lessons that I learned...but is that enough?