Life has been more than a little crazy for him. Think about it. How would any of us handle it if every single thing about our day to day lives changed overnight? That's what it's like for a college freshman.I was a commuter student in college, living at home, working the same job I'd been working, hanging out with the same friends, but now attending college too, so my life stayed relatively the same; I never experienced this transition. But I know it is incredibly dizzying to handle a life totally turned upside down at any age.
Tuba Man was not destined to be a commuter student. We moved him on campus in mid August. Being accepted into the marching band was a plus because he arrived early and had time to settle in before the big freshman orientation week, which he missed entirely due to band camp consuming his life roughly 12 hours a day for 6 days. But he survived learning how to play the sousaphone and marching in the rain and mud.
He's settling into life as a college man with all of the attached challenges and struggles. He battles to squeeze out time for practicing his instruments as well as completing class assignments. It's all too much like adult life, balancing the demands screaming out "Do me first!"
And it's been too quiet around the homestead without him. Not because he is particularly talkative, but because he is a part of the body we call "family". One of our vital organs is missing and everyone feels the lack.
The good news is that Family Weekend is coming up and, whether he likes it or not, we're planning to descend on him en masse, embarrass the heck out of him in front of all his new friends and enjoy visiting our missing piece.
