Day 16

Today is day 16 of this Gratitude Challenge. As I was driving home today, my blog topic came to me... today, I am thankful for my education.

The two may not seem related to you (my short commute home and my thankfulness for my schooling) but today, they are. It dawned on me that at this time last year I was making a lengthy commute to Chico two times a week. That commute was killer. There were times when my alarm would go off at 5:00 am, and I would literally want to cry. I hated that drive. It was so early, and so boring, and I was always so tired. But I got through it. I completed that semester with a GPA of 3.85. I survived the semi-scary (okay, REALLY scary) Chico campus, and even made some friends! I got to enjoy the beauty of the "City of Trees" and spent countless hours cooped up in the CSU Chico library. It was the hardest semester of my life (both the commute, and the 18 units I was taking) but I did it.

Looking back, it was actually kind of fun. I mean, I'd never volunteer to do it again, but for that season of my life, it was exactly what I needed. I remember the long drives home, I would usually put on my latest downloaded Pod Cast, set the cruise control and enjoy my drive home, knowing I was one day closer to being done with the semester.

Completing college took me a few extra years, and I graduated with a bunch of extra units, but I am so thankful for all of the classes I took. I am a wealth of (somewhat) useless knowledge. I know more than I care to share about child development, and I could whip up a mean lesson plan in no time. I find myself using the knowledge I acquired over the years all the time throughout the day. Although I didn't finish the path I set out on, my education is getting put to use all the time.

So, even though there were times when I wondered if I would survive the bi-weekly commutes, today I am thankful for my education, and the looooooooong rides that went along with it!!