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Over the past couple of months I have begun to realize the strangest things. I am almost 22-years-old, 10 weeks away from being completely done with my undergraduate work, and a professional athlete. I still don’t think the professional athlete thing has sunk in. I have missed Santa Barbara so much during this season and can’t help but be excited to go back there when the season is over. The terrible thing is, I know now, that when I do go back it will be much different.
I am now in the process of leasing a studio apartment right next to campus which is really weird because up to this point I have had roommates during school and have always had people around me. But I am no longer your typical student. Yes folks, I am on my way out. I am 10 weeks away from being a "has been", a "used to be". I have three classes to finish and then my undergraduate work is history. I remember being so excited for it to be over but I a lot of things did not occur to me. First of all, when my parents came to visit me in Phoenix a little while back my Mom brought the bills for my car insurance and registration with her. I always knew that when I was done with school that I had to take over these things but I guess it never occurred to me that that time is now. However, I am working on a new angle. Technically I am still in school until right before Christmas, even though I have a “job” now and my parents can no longer claim me on their income tax return. So in my mind I am still a full time student. Doesn’t that mean that she has to pay for the insurance until Christmas? Isn’t that in the parent/child contract or something? So I am trying to work on her now, and of course, the best way to get what I want in this whole deal is to go straight to my Dad. I’m not going to lie, I am a Daddy’s girl and my Dad has a soft heart. I’m no dummy. If I am going to get what I want I have to work my magic with Daddy!!!
But it gets worse than that. My latest trip to pharmacy a few days ago showed me there are things that kissing up to Daddy will not solve. When I went to pick up a prescription for the first time since I have my own health insurance I handed the lady my new health insurance card and she goes to the computer and types some stuff in and comes back a couple minutes later and says, “That’ll be $15.” I thought she must of have lost her mind. I was so used to Daddy’s insurance where I never had to pay a dime for any prescription that when she said $15 I wanted to say forget the prescription, I’ll die before I pay for medicine. But then this little ringing went off in my head reminding me that I’m an “adult” now. When I left for college four years ago I thought that meant I was all grown up but boy was I wrong. Do your own income tax return, pay for your own medicine, car insurance, and live by yourself and then you’re all grown up. What is wrong with this picture?!?!
So basically I have come to the conclusion that I am in limbo. I am in between being a college student and being an adult with a career. Most people coming out of college don’t have a job that they go to only three months out of the year. So, besides the fact that all I have to do in the off-season is finish a few classes and train for next season, I am free of any other commitments. Not to mention the fact that I was thinking, what the heck is dating going to be like? I will be living in a one square mile radius where the only people around me are college students, which isn’t bad until you consider the fact that I am really not in their situation anymore. I will now be the old chick who is done with school but has nothing better to do than hang around a college campus. No college age male in their right mind will look at me and think, gee, I want to date the old girl that still hangs around with college kids. Come to think of it, do I want to a the guy that still thinks the only way to have a great time on a Friday night is sit around a keg on the deck of someone’s house and drink until you make yourself sick? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with hanging out and enjoying a cocktail or two but I know there are many other things you can do on a Friday night which won’t take a bottle of Tylenol and the rest of the weekend to cure!!!
So what to do what to do? I could join the convent and at least know what the rest of my life holds. But I guess that is all part of growing up; realizing you have little to no control over what life throws your way. What a cruel cruel world we live in!!!!
Read Kayte's earlier journal entries:
