Day 15. Chances.

When my parents left me at college for the first time that hot Sunday afternoon in August, Mama said to me, "We can do this [college thang] one time. Get it right the first time."
She had a bit more love in her voice than these words look on the page, but that's what I heard. And that's what I did. Not perfectly. But, I was scared to death not to. Not because of Mama, (Well, maybe a little cuz of Mama. ;), but because of the idea of wasted time and wasted dollars.
We'll be making a trip to Aggieland for a football game, and with that visit comes memories of my college days and time well-spent.
JUST this morning I was explaining to The Big One how I learned to study. How it wasn't in middle school. Or high school. Or even my first two years in college. It was wedged between a history class and a geography class during my junior year on a day when the bus wasn't running to take me to my dorm for my customary nap. I was forced into the student center for a Dr. Pepper and a chocolate chip muffin and, with nothing better to do, I opened my assigned English lit novel. And I did "homework" outside of the "home." May sound crazy that I'd never thought of it before, but that was the birth of the "multi-task" for me. Even tho the tasks were only to consume muffin, drink Dr. Pepper, read book ... I was doing it OUTSIDE of the place where I usually did homework (my dorm room) and I was reading a text that was NOT for the class coming up or the one I'd left behind. I was working "ahead." Mama always suggested that, I think, but this time it was MY idea.
I remember that precise moment often when I work ahead on a volunteer project. Or make phone calls while waiting in the school pick-up line. I up-ended my usual sense of order just a bit by taking tasks OUT of order, and with it came a sense of completion and and success.
Studying for tests became more efficient and successful when I wasn't forcing sleepy eyes to a page while lounging on my bed.
Taking on projects in bits and pieces produced a more complete final product.
The Big One may not get this for awhile.
The Short One may be incapable.
I don't always do this well.
Sometimes there are too many bits of "task" in my "multi."
Sometimes it gets messy.
And that's usually where a Dr. Pepper comes to the rescue.
Gig 'em. ;)