Packing. Oh, the misery!

After years of moving to and from college, you think I would be a professional packer by now.  If you count all the times moving from my parents’ house to college and apartment to apartment, I’ve moved all of my junk a total of seven times. Seven!?! Gah, that was more than I thought. And after seven times, you would think I know what I’m doing.  But nope, I’m most definitely do not.  I’m not good at organizing all of my random things before packing, even though it makes it so much easier to unpack later on. I’m not good at deciding which my things make the cut into the keep pile and what ends up in the donation and garbage piles. At least I’m not alone in my detestation of packing. Put your hand up if you like packing… Yeah, didn’t think so.

Life on the road is going to be fun, though I’m dreading packing up my things.  Not because of the physical labor of organizing and packing in my 95 degree, no-room-to-walk-around apartment, but more so because of the fact I will be leaving many of my favorite things behind me for a year.  Now, I don’t think of myself as materialistic, most of the time—oops, but I’m going to miss my things while being on the road! My queen-sized bed, down comforter, and down alternative pillows. The teal vacuum cleaner I was so excited to purchase last summer (Yeah, ‘excited,’ that’s right. Don’t judge.)  My complete series of the Golden Girls I can just pop into the DVD player any time I’m in need of a boost. Oh, and I can’t forget my cockatiel, Lemon. Maybe it's not the materials I'm predicting to long while traveling, but more the sense of a permanent residence.

Moving is not only a pain in the butt, it’s also stressful. Moving vans and trailers and car tows and companies and mileage and gas and helping hands and boxes and storage, yikes! But it’s all a growing experience and much will be learned throughout this whole thing. I just can’t wait for the packing and moving portion of this to be over.  Maybe I can never pack again and just live in a van down by the river.

I'm a vascillator. Always have been, probably always will be.

This past week, I was faced with the largest, toughest, all day teary-eyed, all night thinking, most emotionally-draining, guts challenging decision of my life thus far—my first career choice after  college graduation. My options were very different from one another, yet (as usual) I could not decide for the life of me.

Option 1: Continue to work at my beloved alma mater (in an office full of people I have grown to consider confidants, family, and friends) and see where that road leads.

Option 2: Dedicate one year of my time and talent to mentor young women across the country for an organization which has given me so much during my time as a collegian.

Oh, the thoughts: take the safe route and see what was on the road ahead?  Or just dive in and pursue a job which I had always thought would be a great experience? You’re young—live a little because now is the time to do it!  But what about your future career when your term is over? But you can travel the country!  But would you like living out of a suitcase?

After much consideration, reams of paper covered with pros and cons lists, sleepless nights, and days being showered with stories of experience and good advice, I had to just choose. “Just choose something and make the best of it.” Those closest to me reiterated to me that either choice would be a good experience that has much to teach me. So I chose. And my decision… drumroll, please… I am the newest Alpha Sigma Tau Educational Consultant.

This new position isn’t just a job, a responsibility, an oath to give my all; it is also a complete lifestyle change.  I will continuously and enthusiastically bop around from college to college across the United States and consult, mentor, and educate women of the Alpha Sigma Tau National Sorority. 

Essentially, I will be living out of a suitcase.  (What a great excuse to purchase new luggage!) Catching flights left and right. Renting cars. Navigating strange roads—good thing I’ve always sort of had a decent sense of direction. Meeting new people.  Seeing new places. Scoping out potential colleges for graduate school or future careers. Not having a space to call mine except for a very cute suitcase filled with, at first, proof of my inability to pack lightly.

I am very much looking forward to this new journey, to helping young women across the country not only with their chapter operations, but also their quest to become productive, successful, responsible members of today’s society.  This is a lot of responsibility and I am not taking it lightly.  And though I will miss everything about my life now and my nerves are kicking in, I’m extremely excited for this new experience.

And if you caught the SNL reference in the title of my blog, points for you.