This quarter has come and gone so fast, I feel like I’m inside a meteor. I apologize for not writing more, for those of you that might read this to pass the time, but this quarter has been all over me. For those of you that have noticed the “Why I Blog” feature article on the Columbus State front page and just started reading the Student Blogs: thanks! It’s nice to know that we’re not just white noise every now and then.
On the topic of thanks, I thought it would be appropriate with Thanksgiving approaching to discuss what I’m thankful for. Hopefully it will encourage a few of you to do the same in the comments section and share your own. Appraising the gifts that life throws at you (as rare as they can be) can certainly help one maintain a positive attitude. I am particularly vulnerable to seasonal depression, so I’ll take whatever help I can get heading into the winter months.
Anyway, here we go!
Family. Perhaps because I have known so many people who have family troubles, I know just how fortunate I am to have loving and supportive kin. My parents, Rodger and Sheryl, are at the top of this list. For the twenty-six long years of my life, they have been there for me without fail. The fact that they didn’t feed me to lions, or drive me out into the woods and leave me there during my teen years is testament to their infinite patience and compassion. (I was a handful, I assure you.) Even today, they are my number one support group in all things and the two people I draw the most strength from. It’s hard to articulate just how thankful I am for everything they have done and continue to do on a daily basis. My grandparents, aunt, and uncle are also equally important as they filled the same guiding role over the course of my lifetime. Without their influence in raising me, I would be a very different person today, and I thank them for how I turned out.
I’m pretty solitary and making acquaintances is hard for me, much less cementing long-term relationships. I don’t have many friends, I’ll be the first to admit, but those that I do have are very dear to me. Whenever I need guidance, help with something, or just somebody to talk to, these individuals have been there for years on end. When you feel lucky to have them, you know that you’ve really hit the jackpot in the friend department. While life may force us to ebb and flow to and from each other, it is incredibly comforting to know that no matter their geographical location, they’re still being awesome somewhere.
My experience at Columbus State has been a long one that has spanned from 2003 to now, broken up by some of life’s many curve balls. I have had a hard time really keeping my head in the game and convincing myself that the experience is worth the time and money, to be completely honest. With at least a year and a half of classes ahead of me at Ohio State next year, I have done a lot of soul searching about college in general. It made me realize that a few instructors were key to my continued interest in pursuing academic success at the college level. Had I not stuck to Columbus State, I think my education would have been worse-off for it. I would love to name them, but I never do in blog entries. Instead, I’ll say this: Pyschology, Anthropology, and World Civilization would have been pretty lame without them to really ignite my interest.
As a cancer survivor, I’m also just thankful to keep sucking air. It has taken years for me to understand how much I would have missed had things gone the other way, and I am extremely thankful for the men and women, modern medicine, and technology that caught it just before it was too late and turned that ship around. (My parents saved my butt, yet again, as well.) It scares me more now to think about it than when I was diagnosed at 18. Life can be a bummer a lot of the time, but it’s those wonderful moments in between that make it all worthwhile.
I know this is a sappy entry, but I appreciate you reading through to the end, if you did. That said, I would love to read about what you’re thankful for (aside from this entry ending), so please share your own stories in the comment section. Take a minute to let hundreds of people know just how special that someone or something is.
November 16, 2010 at 3:43 pm |
CSCC has been a life saving experience for me. Since arriving here, everything in my life has gone from situations that have almost cost me everything to moving this train uphill. I have instructors and excellent professors to thank, most of which can be found in the foreign language department. Seriously, I was lost without these wonderful people. The people at the Veterinary Technology building have also been very special to me. I cannot thank the people of this fine institution enough. For them, It is just another student in and out of the doors of college, but for me, the clouds in a very unclear world are beginning to part and I can see the for the first time in my life, a future that I am looking foreword to with excitement and positive energy. I have been moved in many ways here at CSCC and for that, I am thankful.
Timothy S. Tortorello