Have I mentioned here on Inspired by Life that I decided not quite a year ago to enroll in college? Getting the degree I didn’t pursue at 18 is something I have thought about doing for most of my adult life. A bucket list item. But the thought always came with the caveat of, “When I have more time.”
So in May of last year, I was sitting in the bleachers at a college graduation ceremony and I realized that I was running out of time and that I would probably always be busy and never have “more time.” I was going to have to “make time” before all of my time on this earth is gone. I went home from that ceremony and began the process of enrolling in college. Part-time (very part-time). I may need a walker by the time I get my degree. LOL!
© 22 North Gallery / Dollar Photo Club
This semester I took Western Civilization 1. A couple of weeks remain until finals. I was very fortunate in the way this class was set up. I was able to ignore it in the final few weeks of writing my novel. Now I am spending many hours every day catching up, completing reading, answering module questions, writing papers. My head is crammed with history from the Middle Ages and Later Middle Ages, from the Reformation and the European expansion into the New World, and much more. I am loving it although a semester doesn’t really feel like enough time to cover everything we’ve covered in the last fourteen chapters of the text book.
My editorial letter for my novel is due to arrive soon. I will be embroiled in revisions at the same time I am taking my finals. Ah, the life of a college student. Juggling many balls is definitely easier for the young ones than for a … cough, cough … more mature student. But truth be told, I am having a ball!
Have you looked at your bucket list lately? What’s your dream? Is it time to stop putting it off and begin pursuing it?
Well, I say, Go for it!
~robin
Robin Lee Hatcher
Latest posts by Robin Lee Hatcher (see all)
- Peanut Butter and . . . What? - May 2, 2025
- Walking with Jesus - April 18, 2025
- What do you call a group of writers? - April 4, 2025
I’ve heard the saying, four years from now you’ll still be four years older, but will you have a ———(fill in the blank) or not.
At almost 61 years old I don’t really have a bucket list. I just pray that my two kids will be happy, healthy, and able to pursue their dreams.
Gail, that is a good saying about being four years older. Thanks for sharing.
I so admire you for doing this, Robin–especially with your already successful career! I still have nightmares about cramming for finals. The dreams usually come when I’m trying to meet my writing deadline. You’re living my nightmare.
LOL! I guess it is better to be living someone’s nightmare than to BE someone’s nightmare. 😉
Good for you, Robin! I work at a university and see many non-traditional students following the same path. I admire you for tackling a bucket list item that requires so much WORK. Most of my bucket list items are travel related. I’d like to tour the castles of Bavarian Germany, visit a Wyoming dude ranch, go zip-lining in New Zealand. Nothing that requires actual work. Ha!
Karen, those are cool items on a bucket list. Many of mine are travel related too. College is a lot of work, even just part time, but it feels good. Next year is going to be the year I get my math requirements out of the way. If you hear groaning from somewhere in the Northwest, it’s me.
That is awesome!! Good for you, Robin. I have a feeling you’re going to ace your final…..
Becky, thanks for the faith in me. I managed to get an A on my mid-term but it was brutal.
Robin, that is so cool. Congratulations! Be sure to keep breathing during finals/editing week. 🙂
Happy studying!
Andrea
Good reminder. I may need to whisper it to myself a few times. Remember to breathe. Remember to breathe.
Congratulations! School while you are doing life is a huge undertaking. I didn’t get my BA until I had been married many years and had a child in HS. Trying to take care of everything at the same time took some major organizational skills, but it was all worth it. My bucket list includes traveling with my husband. After all of these years of raising children and taking care of others in our family I’m looking forward to it being just the two of us.
Thanks, Lori. And traveling with hubby just for pleasure is a great goal.
Robin, that is awesome! You go! So glad you’re doing this!
Thanks, Cara! It’s nice to have friends cheering me on, too.
YAY ROBIN!!!! 🙂 I am soooo very proud of you for doing this!! WOW, you are truly amazing.
My 2 older sisters and I have talked for years about taking a “sisters trip” with just the 3 of us. But all we’ve done is talk about it. I’m thinking I may just have to “put my foot down” (which is said jokingly, because being the baby of the family I am also the least assertive, and have always done what I was told, LOL) and go ahead and plan the trip!
Praying that all goes well with your finals and editing. 🙂
Hugs, Patti Jo
Thanks, Patti Jo. As for the baby in the family being the least assertive, does not apply to me. I am the baby, in my immediate family and in my extended family, and I am quite assertive and hardly ever do what I’m told. Well, at least my instincts are not to do what I’m told. I have conquered the worst of that trait.
Congrats on the decision to complete that degree! It is NEVER too late. I received my degree at age 59 and the course-work inspired me to start writing; a “someday” dream for me too! Enjoy every minute of your studies. You will be walking that stage before you know it!!
Awesome. And I like your name! 😉