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Yesterday I was walking around my alma mater. As much as I loved my time in college, and am grateful for the amazing friends I had and growth I experienced (believe me, the two were closely linked), I find that when I walk around my college campus, I end up with a bit of a pit in my stomach. This sense of unease.
I think it’s a reflection of the anxiety I felt in college. Yes, college was great but it was also very demanding and perhaps my most insecure season. I went from being a big fish in a medium pond to a tiny tadpole in an enormous lake.
I know of youth workers who keep pictures of themselves as adolescents in their office (I know of one who has one in his bathroom in his house; you know who you are). I think that’s a good idea – a good way to remind ourselves of what it’s like to be a teenager. My good friend and colleague, Chap Clark, wisely warns that we need to be careful with how we recall our adolescence; most times we are viewing it through rose-colored classes and forget all the pain we faced.
I am very aware of the pain I faced in college during these two days near my campus. I’m speaking to parents and high school seniors about our College Transition Project while I’m here (in fact, it’s why I’m here) and being on campus has given me a few illustrations to use in my talks.
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