Just Joanna
I feel tired. Going to my first class in about 19 years took a lot out of me. I felt great leaving the home this morning. I was excited about the new year and the new opportunity. But as I turned onto the campus, my heart started racing, and I felt very panicky. It took me three tries to park in a very straightforward spot. I could not line up. Obsessed with symmetry, I had to correct it multiple times. I encouraged myself, "Joanna, you are not a spring chicken; hold your head up like the hen you are!" The beautiful brick looked warm and inviting as I relaxed and took an easy stride into the building. I entered the space and started to feel the energy of the campus. Students were milling around, chatting, and working. Unexpectedly, I felt a pang of pain. My brain, heart, and soul were forced to remember the last time I stood on a campus. Memories came flooding back, fragmented and warped. The injustice of not knowing it was the last time I would stand in that spot. If I had...