As I drifted off to dreamland last night, I found myself meandering through the nostalgic halls of my alma mater with my son in tow. Picture this: a proud parent, desperate to impress, but fully aware that the allure of their collegiate glory days might not quite have the same sparkle for the next generation.
I waxed poetic about the grandeur of the old library, reminisced about late-night study sessions that were more about ordering pizza than actual studying, and even pointed out the exact spot where I once pulled a daring (and now, slightly embarrassing) prank. My son nodded politely, eyes glazing over ever so slightly, probably dreaming of a campus with cutting-edge tech labs and gourmet dining halls instead of the “character” of my beloved alma mater’s creaky floors and ancient radiators.
But here’s the kicker – I felt a mix of pride, age, and sheer silliness. Pride because, hey, I still remember where the coolest hangout spots were! Age because, well, when did my once-wild-and-free self become this nostalgic narrator? And silly because, let’s be real, my son’s dreams are bound to be as different from mine as night and day.
As I floated through this dream, I realized that our journey together – his journey of choosing his own path – is what really matters. Whether he ends up at my old stomping grounds or finds his own quirky corner of the world, I’m just glad to be part of the ride, even if it means letting go of my alma mater fantasy.
So here’s to feeling proud, old, and delightfully silly. To embracing the journey, no matter where it takes us. And to knowing that while my dream was grand, his is destined to be extraordinary in its own unique way.
Categories: Culture, family, identity, Leadership, mental health, Pop Culture, Psychology, society
psychologistmimi 
SMiLes True i Got to Party With All the Sorority Girls From my Alma Mater
University of West Florida Until Covid-19 Shut-Down College Night Dancing
For the 6 Years i Participated Most Every Thursday Night
Yet Actually Earning my 3 Degrees in the Early 80’s HAha
What i Remember Most About Those University
Years is the Long Commute in my
’70 Maverick Accumulating
A Quarter of A Million Miles
Yes 250,000 Miles on the Trips
There in the Next City Over All through University
No Air Conditioner or Heater and Even With 3 Part
Time Jobs With a Full School Load All i Could Afford
To Eat was Peanut Butter Sandwiches Every Every Every
Day Then Isn’t it Amazing What A Human Being Can Go
Through Just to get 3 Documents Called Degrees that
Would Only Lead Someone on the Autism Spectrum
Close to the Top of Their Class with a Job Making
$3.69 an Hour getting a foot in the Door
at the very Lowest Possible level
in Federal Government
Employment True
i Could Do Multiple Choice
Tests and Ace them With Savant
Like Rote Memory Yet That’s all i Had
the Output was Really Out of ‘The Question’
And in Junior College i Couldn’t Even Afford
to Order Fries With my Well Heeled Friends in
Their Trans Ams Financed By Their Families With Two Parents
Yet my Grandmother on the River Front Made me Breakfast at Lunch
And Now Haha
i Can Afford All
the Fries in the World
Yet i Understand they are
Basically Garbage to Eat So
They Come No Where Close to my Stomach
Anyway All Those Peanut Butter Days Make me
Appreciate every little thing now and the best part of All
is Still Living Like i’m Hungry as Flowers Bloom Best After Droughts
Dear
Miriam
With SMiLes..:)
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