On this beautiful fall day I traveled down to Ann Arbor to have lunch with a friend from school.  I was in AA last weekend, when we went to the concert at Hill Auditorium (pictured above with the UM bell tower), and my husband asked me as we were leaving town if I missed campus.  I can honestly say that yes I do.  I don’t know if it is the campus itself, the sense of being involved in something new and exciting, or the feeling of belonging that I missed, but I do miss being in Ann Arbor.

So I was excited to go down to campus again.  I planned the trip so that I had time to ride the bus into the center of town.  That makes parking cheaper (as in zero) and saves me trying to drive in a town which is overrun with students, cars and buses.  Driving in AA totally stresses me out.  Plus, if you’ve read this blog long enough you’ll know.  I LOVE riding the bus!  In a multicultural university town like Ann Arbor you get to see and listen to the most interesting people while riding the bus.  Today I listed to a conversation about quantom physics and another about how different antioxidents work on different part of the cells in our body.  Riding the bus is an education in itself.  I was pleased to note that old traditions continue, like students getting up out of their seats and offering them to older riders, and everyone calling a “thanks!” to the driver, accompanied with a wave, as they depart.

Lunch was spent at a little Korean restaurant that I had walked past and hardly noticed for the whole two years I was a student.  I had lovely spicy chicken as we caught up with each other’s stories.  It was so good to see her, and hear how things were going in her academic world.  It’s such a different world than that of my public library.

After lunch she went back to work and I wandered central campus for a little bit.  Things haven’t changed at all.  Feeding the squirrels is still a good study break.

And as usual there was something crazy going on on the Diag, the very center of campus where different interest groups usual hold court or entertain, or preach for their cause.  Today there was a fraternity selling chances, $2.00 each, to throw a whip cream pie in the face of a student, all for the worthy cause of ending heart disease. 

Over in West Hall, where I went to school I ran into my favorite professor.  She and I were walking through the undergrad library at the same time and actually bumped into each other.  We had a moment to talk, which was really nice.  She says she’s going to retire.  I said sure she is, she says that every year.  But this year she just may.  She wants to travel the country and visit all her students in all those libraries.  Sounds like a plan to me!

After seeing her I headed back to the bus stop.  On the ride back out to the car  I realized that campus life was fun, but over.  Just that bit of walking around showed me that I didn’t really belong there anymore. And more than that, I realized I was glad I was done with school, that it  is OK to be finished with student life.  That was one phase of my life; a really fun, exciting, and sometimes scary time.  I’ll always enjoy visiting, but it’s not where my life is now.

As I pulled into the driveway I could hear Katie howling.  Guess she wasn’t thrilled to be left alone most of the day.  How soon she gets spoiled.  This is where my life is now.  And that’s OK with me.