30 Years Ago

 

      I came to a startling realization a couple days ago. I graduated from college 30 years ago.

      On May 23, 1992 I walked across a stage at NDSU wearing my black robe and mortarboard with olive green tassel to accept my degree of Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. I worked very hard for that degree, harder than I had ever worked for anything in my life at that point. Not all people attend college commencements. I don't blame them. They are long and boring. I wasn't going to miss this though. After all my hard work, I wanted to celebrate.

   My celebration wasn't going to last for long. My hard work wasn't over. In order to get a license as a pharmacist I needed to do a graduate internship and then pass the Pharmacy Board exam. My summer was going to be spent working at a small independent pharmacy in Grand Rapids Minnesota. Then I would move back to my parents' home to study for boards.

   One of the things I learned during those five years at NDSU is perseverance. I had decided I was going to be a pharmacist and I put everything I had toward that goal. 

   The second thing I learned is how to fail. In pharmacy school I had to get a C or better in order to pass my classes. That first year despite my hard work, I did not pass two classes. Since they were prerequisites to other classes, I was set back and crushed. I had never not passed a class before, but I was not alone. There were ten other students in my situation and we banded together. We went through two summers of summer school. We studied together and supported  each other. One summer whenever there was a test, we would dress up that day. Then we would go out for a drink. (Since I wasn't 21 yet my malt was made with ice cream.) We had a motto C=RPh. If we passed our classes with a C or better we would graduate and become an RPh (Registered Pharmacist)

   As good as those days were and as much as I loved living in Fargo, I'm not nostalgic. I don't want to go back and remember those days. It was a wonderful path to walk, but I'm happy with where I am now.

  I'm grateful for the foundation I had to build on. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a time before the Internet and before cell phones and social media. I'm grateful for letters that came in the mail and long phone calls with friends and family. I'm grateful that I went to school in a time when there were bomb threats, but no school shootings. 

   I'm grateful that I have been around the last 30 years to do the things I've done and meet the people I've met. I'm grateful for all my coworkers and customers. I'm grateful for all the doors that opened and the ones that closed. 

   Once in awhile it's good to look back and see how far you've come and where life has led you. It can be fun, but it's not healthy to stay in the past. eventually you have to smile (or commit to doing things different) and move forward.