Light at the End of the Tunnel

Vacation. It's that one light at the end of the tunnel. There are countless other things that make that light special for each and every person. Be it family, friends, relaxation, it makes the mundane, humdrum days manageable. Jobs, school, work, all the stress is relieved. And it's great. But what I think sets a job apart from another is one where the vacation is your light at the end of the tunnel versus the job in which you can appreciate the vacation, you love the break, but it makes you antsy. Antsy, because you watched all six seasons of a hit television show, or you caught up on all of the books on your reading list, maybe your hometown is too small for a big city student. Antsy, also, because your job is the light at the end of the tunnel of the day: your job gives your private college experience a little more meaning and purpose. Luckily, jumpstart is that  job. I sat through my seasons and read through my books and now I have an ache in my bones to get back into the classroom, read with the kids, prep for session.

  And It was my favorite question to answer over the holiday. With vacation comes an onslaught of questions. Returning to home after a long semester, the furthest thing from your mind is school. Yet, that is all your family can seem to talk about. Walking into a bumbling holiday party, your excitement builds as you get to enjoy the holiday with people you love. You beeline for the refreshments table to replenish before the reveling in the holiday cheer. But, As you make your way to the other end (of what seems like a small room) you stop 20 times to talk to this aunt and that uncle and your third cousin twice removed and the boyfriend of your second cousin three times removed. They fire at you the same questions, stop after stop, relative after relative. You've been in the house thirty minutes and your still battling your way through the sea of inquisitive family members (most of whom you can barely remember their name).  Sometimes you'll get lucky and with the string of school questions they will throw in "so, are ya workin'?". Face brightens. Sigh of relief. The conversation now takes in the candor the relative was looking for- spirit and passion. I go on and on reliving the children's successes, my successes, the stresses, the funny stories. The ironic thing is they have to stop me from talking, excusing themselves to go speak to Aunt Tottie about this or that. I am the one who is supposed to excuse myself. That is okay, I got the chance to talk about my passion at school. Win for me. I got a chance to look at my semester with jumpstart, not in thick of things, but with a clear mind. I was able to take a mental refreshing deep breath. I prepared myself for next semester.

Although, the preparation involved too much Netflix and many trips to Barnes and Noble, I am so excited to begin my work again. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the stress (brought on by myself) and get caught up in the flaws only you can see. But the month away has allowed for my brain to refresh. I missed jumpstart. It serves as my escape from the anxiety of college. This semester my resolution is to remember this excitement and remain as stress free as possible. Its time experience the stories that will reignite my passion mid-interrogation. Its time to get to the light at the end of my tunnel: Jumpstart.

~Brooke Williams
Team Leader
Team Learning 1