More importantly, what have you done in 11 years?
Have you gotten married; had kids; traveled to the far reaches of the globe?
Maybe you've lost a loved one, or part of your leg, or your hair.
11 years is a long time. A really long time. It's 4017 days(leap years accounted for). That's 4017 chances to better yourself, do something amazing, witness history or create some of your own. It's also 4017 chances to fall flat on your face, feel as badly as you could ever imagine, or stare the devil right in the face and feel like giving in.
Over my past 11 years, I have run the gamut of emotion. I have felt the rush of satisfaction in completing a goal I set for myself(running my marathon); I have felt the void of losing my best friend and brother and the thought that getting out of bed was an impossibility because the world just couldn't go on turning without him; I have seen his son grow into a wonderfully precious little man and his daughter excel and succeed on so many levels; I have woken up in jail, staring at rock bottom, searching for answers, and praying for a way out. Not necessarily a way out of jail, although that would have been nice, but a way out of the doldrums of the cavernous wasteland that I had allowed my life to become.
I was Jean Valjean.
(Okay, this isn't the song about his transformation from crook to nobleman, but it is my favorite of Valjean's in the show and this version is done by Colm Wilkinson, the original Valjean at the 10th Anniversary show, 18ish years ago. Side note for those who have seen the movie, Mr Wilkinson cameos as the priest early on and in the final scene)
This one is for you, Mom:
And another for fun, actually regarding my usage of myself in the Jean Valjean role:
But, unlike 24601, I did not seize my opportunity to take control of my life completely. I did start, though.
According to www.convertunits.com it has been 2 years, 6 months and 9 days since I woke up in a jail cell and made the decision that has changed the course of my life and gotten me back on track. That decision, for those of you new to my writing, was to begin living my life alcohol-free and my life hasn't been the same since.
That decision to start living free of my favorite vice has led me to the precipice of the journey I will begin at 5:45 tomorrow morning when my alarm beckons me to rise and shine. For the first time in over 11 years, I will be attending classes as a student at The University of Texas at Austin. This time around, I am getting a degree in Kinesiology. Physical Culture and Sports to be exact. Unfamiliar with that degree plan? I was too. Here's the brief description: http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/wayfinder/explore/major/view/id/540.
I'm so excited and grateful for the opportunity laid before me. I took complete advantage, in a negative way of being a college student the first time around and I plan on changing that.
I am more committed and focused on what I want out of life now than I feel I ever have been in my life and this short year and a half journey to this degree is the last small step before the big leap. I know a few things I would love to do with this degree in tow, but am not sure how feasible they are, but that won't stop me from trying.
I hope you all enjoy reading the story of UT 2.0 for me. A lot has changed since my first go round. I mean, when I started college in 1997, the internet was a fad, not the way of life, the Rangers were coming off their first Postseason but weren't headed back, CDs were cool, and Steve Jobs was still imagining iPods.
Did you know you can rent textbooks now?! That thought alone almost melted my brain.
This journey should be fun and should include a ton of great tales so I ask that you continue to read along and I will promise to be diligent in keeping you updated. I also appreciate in advance the love and support you all have given and continue to give me in this endeavor.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little, okay, a lot nervous about what tomorrow has in store for me, but I know deep down that it is the right decision. Every fiber of my being tells me so.
Wish me luck!
The closest I could come to a song about first day jitters is Field Day Jitters by Tripping Daisy. ENJOY!
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