Better By Nightfall

Toffee-nut latte with extra cream, decaffeinated.

Being the caffeine freak I usually am, it was somewhat shocking to have actually uttered "decaf" during our weekly coffee chats. Things have changed though. The start of a new year and the obvious directions each one of us has taken is clearly reflected in our weekly meetings both in the late evening hour we chose to have it and with the absence of Heather.

With coffee cup in hand, we sat across from each other at a small table in the corner of the coffeehouse. Usually we'd all be joking about something at this time, but it wasn't like that. It was calm, pensive. Unusual. Instead, we started with talking about being back, the beginning of another year, and the events that happened this summer. Stephanie then went on to talk about her current job as an RA in the dorms on campus. While she conveyed her natural positive attitude about her work, it was clear to see that she was worn by the first week of having to put up with what all it entailed. Perhaps, as she noted, being an RA was a bit more than she planned for. From cleaning and furnish the new apartments to helping the newbies move in to having to deal with the disruptive freshmen that don't know campus life, Stephanie surmised that it was going to be an interesting year. I couldn't agree more.

Being back at college, as I noted, in general, was more than I imagined. Perhaps because I imagined things being different when I got back. Things being more structured to my wants. I wanted not to have to see certain people again, to be able to move on from last year. However, as I've learned, one should not expect things to be so perfect, so tailored. Not that expectations should be low, but rather, one should not expect their expectations to be fulfilled so easily. As I realized in Anthropology class on Tuesday night: "Life, along with education, is about adjustment."

Apparently I'm still learning. Adjusting to the apartment has been interesting, as I told Stephanie. It's obviously not like the dorms last year. There is more sharing, more cleaning, more of everything to do...and sometimes, some people don't do much of it.

But that's part of adjustment, I guess. I'm trying to deal with. In the same regard, Stephanie is trying to adjust to the other aspects of being an RA. She detailed the difficulty in trying to maintain a level of authority while still trying to be the residents friend and person of trust. So far it hasn't been difficult, but she has her worries about some of the people on the floor. Not to mention the incredible balance of maintaining her course schedule and her RA schedule. I don't think I could do it, and that alone is probably why I will never do it. That's too much adjustment for me. Some, however, like Stephanie are more suited for the task. While she may be having some bitter tumultous times right now, I'm sure she'll be fine once the first two weeks are down and done with.

I'm not sure about Stephanie, but between sipping my latte, relaxing, and escaping I realized that in adjusting and readjusting we find a new tailored image on what we want and what we've seen. That image, for me, isn't very clear yet; but, at least, for those few relaxing moments it didn't matter.