By Beauty Damned

Schoolgirl

Today was my first day of school in eleven years. I feel like the hugest dork because I had this big happy smile on my face throughout my entire class. It was "Artificial America - the Celebration of the Fake in Contemporary Culture." I had such a great time. The professor was engaging and full of enthusiasm. The subject matter was right up my alley. My classmates were vocal and brimming with opinions. There were lots of laughs. The course material consists of everything from the writings of Oscar Wilde and Vladamir Nabakov to movies like Moulin Rouge, Mulholland Drive and The Life Aquatic.

I had a bit of a rough day at work, but as soon as I got into that classroom I felt like I was exactly where I wanted to be. I have known for a long time that this road leading up to school was the right road. Today, a door opened onto a different road. The one where school is not just a glimmering mirage ahead on a desert highway of tests and essays and interviews and hopes and little accomplishments, but the one where all of that effort came to fruition the moment that I set foot in that room at The New School. This is what it was all for. So that I could sit down with these other people and learn at this great school that I so wisely and thoughtfully chose, and that chose me back.

What a wonderful day.

I might sound like a huge dork, but I don't really care, because today was the first day of the rest of my life.