"Anchor's Away"

      I have "Aced" another course.  Less than two years ago, I was a fifty-something woman with 9 college credits, and a 2.something GPA. (I can't remember the exact number.  Chalk it up to my age.  Or maybe it was so just so bad that I blocked it out.)  Now, I am a fifty-something College Freshman.  I have earned thirty credits, and a 3.9 GPA.  Out of ten courses, I have nine "A's", and one "B".  I feel such a sense of accomplishment, at nearly halfway to my Associates Degree.  I have more education than both of my parents, albeit less than my sons, which is in keeping with the general order of things.  Actually, three of us may be graduating simultaneously.  One of my sons is currently working towards his Bachelor's, and one toward his Master's.  

     I was somewhat surprised that I earned an "A" in this latest course, Psychology of Aging.  (Attribute that to subjective age.  I still think I'm thirty.  Mentally, at least.  My body reminds me constantly that I am not, in a variety of increasingly unpleasant ways!)   Twenty-something son number one attributes my success in this particular class to my having an unfair advantage.  "How could you possibly do poorly?", he inquires with aplomb.  "You had to have earned the highest grade in your class..."  (Did I mention he and I are not on speaking terms?  Just joking.  I don't play that game with my kids.)  I did, however, find his comments amusing.  He's got his father's sense of humor-funny initially, but becoming tiresome after awhile...

     His perspective, believe it or not, was pretty accurate.  I did not study for this course nearly as much as I did for the other courses I've taken.  A lot of the information was, to me at least, either common knowledge or common sense.  For example, at what age does one qualify for Social Security?  (Sixty two.  I'm almost there-and I'm already thinking "early retirement".)  During what years were Baby Boomers born?  (I'm a Boomer.  The years are 1946-1964.)  What is ageism?  (Age discrimination.  Haven't I experienced  more than my share of that lately, throughout my frustrating seven month long job search...)  Normative history graded influences:  I've witnessed a good number of those.  (For example, the assassination of President Kennedy when I was in the third grade; Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in 1969; the Challenger explosion in 1986; the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995; the horror of September 11, 2001; the Inauguration of our first African-American President in 2009;  and most recently, the Boston Marathon bombing.)  

     Perhaps, though, I am simply becoming more comfortable with my role as student.  When I first returned to school, it had been thirty years since I'd done any studying.  I had to learn all over again.  Quite frankly, I do believe my overall technique has improved...It sure looks that way...

     It is wonderful to have a goal at this stage in my life, especially since the sons are all grown and embarking on their own journeys.  I've had a whirlwind five years, having experienced a number of major life changes, beginning with a divorce (and still devoid of a subsequent significant other).  This latest chapter has included a new education, a new home (my own apartment for the first time-ever), a new job, a new car...A woman can make a lot of progress with a little determination-and without an anchor weighing her down...