Words from a wallflower

A walk in my slippers

I had a pair of three-year-old tan slippers that I got over family weekend freshman year. There was a stain on the top right slipper from when I dropped food on it in the CVA dining hall, and the toes were worn from me walking in them in the rain to go to Subway on 16th Street. I almost got rid of them last year because they looked like they had already become worn out, but I held onto them, thinking they would get me through the rest of college. Now they have.

Those slippers got me through moving to two different dorms, letting guests in for weekend trips, doing laundry on Friday nights, taking spontaneous walks outside, and simply keeping my notoriously cold feet warm in the place I’ve called home for awhile.

Obviously I’m not amazed at how long these slippers have lasted; rather, I’m amazed at how much has happened in three years and how quickly it all went by. I think that’s a common realization for any upcoming graduate. I’m definitely not offering any profound knowledge here. It’s just that it’s my time to experience that feeling as graduation approaches.

I recently talked to a friend about how much people can change, especially when going through school. He claims that he isn’t the same person who started at CU Denver, and I agree that I’m a different person now too compared to the 18-year-old that was dropped off at CVA three years ago. The slippers were the constant because it was a time of rapid change for me. I moved on from unsupportive friends and found a group of ones who truly care. I let go of an unhealthy relationship and fell in love with a sweet guy. I used my roots to guide me but formed values of my own. I grew up.

The experiences I have gained over the past three years at CU Denver, including the honor of working at this paper, will become fond memories and make me who I am as I begin school at the University of Oregon. Perhaps I will have to get another pair of slippers during my first semester. I’m sure the person who wears them when I graduate again in four years will be different from the girl who is going to turn a tassel now.