School bells

"Whatever education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which would be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important: how to live and how to die."

-John Taylor Gotto

I started school last week. I never get nervous. I get excited, anxious for the first day to arrive, but never nervous. Except for last Tuesday. Being back in Provo again had somehow terrified me. I was so nervous I could barely see straight. I went through 5 different outfits. My deodorant failed me. I got there too early and had to sit through the awkward before class silence. There was no podium on the table, no windows in the room, no wheels on the chair. Totally OCD, I know. But when I am nervous all those things seem to matter. And then class began. And it all melted away. I started talking and before I knew it class was over. My students are all smart and opinionated and passionate, just like 20 somethings should be. And being back in Provo again feels a little like coming home. I walked back to my car and the bell tower started to ring. It was one of those moments. One of those moments where life comes full circle. And you realize you don't have to be nervous at all because you've been here before.