To Be Or Not To Be OCD

I have never been the organized type. I’m not a candidate for “Hoarders,” mind you, but there’s always room for improvement (just don’t go into my bathroom). I’ve gotten better over the years. Not perfect, but better. Does this mean my pantry looks like Ina Garten’s? Or my closet is neatly arranged by color? Or that my desk is spotless? Nope. Not even one of these things.

Instead I open my pantry cupboards with caution so I’m not knocked unconscious by a flood of canned goods. My closet has more non-clothing items than clothes (oh, there’s that old hoola-hoop I’ve been looking for!). And my desk…well, there’s an empty water bottle from three days ago that I could easily throw in the trash.

Organization – or the lack thereof – goes for undergraduate life as well. Again, I’ve gotten better about organizing, and this full-time semester has helped.

Let’s take a look at the weekly schedule photo I posted above. This is about as organized as I get. Quite frankly, I’m particularly proud of it. Screw the ‘A’ on my 8-page auto-ethnography essay I just got back – that pales in comparison to the joy of this hand-written schedule.

When I look at it, I smile. My five courses are listed beautifully like a treasured family recipe. Under each course are the assignments I need to work on for the week. I highlight all that is important. Most important, I adorn it with cute little stickers, a suggestion from my 7-year old to make the paper “look happy.” And it does look happy, doesn’t it??

This would not have come about 20 years ago. I had an agile mind back then. My community college assignments were categorized right in my noggin, and I never forgot a one. And I was working one or two jobs. Now I’m lucky to remember if ate breakfast or, worse, if I made it but forgot to eat it. Hey, it’s happened.

This organizational skill is nothing to brag about, really. It hasn’t seeped into my normal day-to-day life. Just today I got a notification that my child’s eye appointment is tomorrow – an appointment I made two months ago. An appointment I should have cancelled because we’ve already seen the optometrist.

I’m just happy that being an undergrad at 45 means learning more than just academic knowledge. Who knows, by this time next year I might be doing something as crazy as, I don’t know, going to bed at a reasonable hour!

Hey, one can hope.

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Can’t Attend Classes? Don’t Worry, We’ve Got You COVID.

That’s a bad pun, and I apologize. But if this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we are obligated to laugh at cheesy dad jokes. And at this rate, I’m pretty much a giant block of sharp cheddar.

The experience I longed for most as an undergrad at 45 years of age was taking part in campus life. Mind you, I had taken about 3,427 classes at my local community college over the last 25 years, but that was the path to transfer into university. A long, daunting, arduous path (and absolutely nothing against community college, I wouldn’t be where I am without it!).

To me, University equated to my major, which is Literature & Writing. Rubbing elbows with my peers. Discussing Hamlet in a group setting. Joining writers’ groups, critiquing our work. Impressing professors with my charm and wit…shut up, it’s a real thing.

Instead, like millions of others, schooling was moved to online learning. COVID-19 wasn’t messing around. At first, I was miffed. Jokes aside, I had looked forward to the classroom environment. I enjoy the energy when a topic is brought up and everyone gets involved. I looked forward to adult conversations about subjects I am passionate about. And let’s face it, I adore my 7-year old, but I can handle only so many conversations about My Little Ponies.

Thing is, online learning has turned out to not be so bad. In fact, while my own child is out of school, it’s working out perfectly; I can’t imagine how I’d have juggled five days of on-campus classes. A few classes are synchronous, with regular Zoom meetings (which aren’t nearly as impersonal as I thought they’d be). A few are asynchronous, which means I can work on what I need to do when I want to work on it (no slacking!).

There are several pros. No traffic. No parking anxiety. No $600 parking permit needed, for that matter. I easily save $200 a month on gas. Group work, which I loathe, is also online! The refrigerator is right next to me. I can have a cocktail, for Christ’s sake. Most important of all, no matter what I do that’s school-related, the bathroom…is right down the hall!

The pros of online learning certainly outweigh the cons. But the truth is, I crave in-person learning. The very point of Literature & Writing is to discuss, share, banter, argue, and enlighten each other.

I also wanted to make friends. I did a lot of that in community college, and I miss it. But this time around it’s my major (are you sick of the italics yet?)! Like-minded individuals. Networking. Reading each other’s work. These are people who might be my colleagues one day.

I know things could be worse. I’m lucky I’m in a position to be going to school in general, while others struggle deal with far worse issues. I simply have to hope we all get through this and come out the other side stronger and better! And, with a lot of crossed fingers, things might returns to some kind of normal come fall of 2021.