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Milestones. Sometimes they show us the way. Sometimes they show us where we’ve been. Sometimes they feel more like millstones around our necks because we have expectations about when and where we are supposed to be at some perfect time or place. But milestones can also be interesting ways to notice the world around you.…

Those of us who went to college in the 1970s may have been the last of the lucky ones. We were lucky because most of us didn’t think our lives, our entire futures, depended on whether or not we were admitted to whatever school we had decided to apply to. That has certainly changed. One…

When it comes to roommate stories, I was lucky enough to get the Goldilocks and the Three Bears version. Roommate #1 was too much alike, roommate #2 was too different and roommate #3 turned out to be just right. Luckily for me, and it’s probably true that it was lucky for many of us, there…

“Don’t worry. Remember, she was a slow starter in high school and that turned out okay. It’ll be fine.” That was my younger brother reassuring my mother who, apparently, was worried about me during my first year of college. I learned about this conversation long after it had taken place. When I did learn about…

The former dean of the Dedman School at SMU had one of the best roommate stories I’ve heard. He would show up to speak to incoming students wearing a seersucker suit and bow tie and looking like the nerdiest professor ever. But it didn’t take long before the students and their parents were enthralled as…

Summer 1975 was one of those in between times for me and my group of friends. Liminal, the poets call it and it’s one of my favorite concepts. Liminal is the place, space, or time that is neither here nor there. It’s a threshold, a door. That moment before you leave something known behind and step…

By spring of 1982, my last semester in law school, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, but no idea where I would do it. I spent a large part of my evenings in the office of our residence complex typing out letters to send in response to job ads in The…

One of the challenges of this time of the year is just how much is going on. There’s so much to do and so much to keep track of that it can be overwhelming. So, here’s my usual reminder – take time to breathe. Breath and breathing are crucial components of a good yoga class. It…

Last week, the OUHSC College of Nursing held a two-day conference for students, faculty, and staff. There were breakout sessions for students on topics such as resume writing, interview tips, and self-care. There were also faculty panels about the different specialties in nursing and opportunities for future education. But the focus of the event was on…

There are so many wonderful elements to the experience of working on a college or university campus. One aspect is the campus itself. Places to walk or to sit. Places to read or chat. Even a campus that can’t afford a lot in the way of landscaping is likely to have a couple of trees worth sitting under.…