Forever Change

It’s a dangerous business, going out your door.

You step into the road and if you don’t keep your feet

There’s no telling where you’ll be swept off to.

Bilbo (Fellowship of the Ring, 82)





         Change. It’s not something we are unfamiliar with. There are many songs, poems, books, and quotes about change and how one experience, any experience can impact or devastate your life. Love, a job, college, and friendship can all change your life for the better. On the other hand, cancer, a deadly car wreck, being fired, or rotten opportunities can devastate your life. Have you ever had an experience that has changed your life? I have.

         On July 21st, 2002 my life changed forever. I arrived at Northland College’s Writing in the World of Nature program at around 12:45 in the afternoon, and as I stepped out of my mother’s magenta Ford Taurus I had no clue that I had made a decision that would greatly impact my future. The air was humid, filled with moisture as I walked up the steps with my parents and brother to meet the man in charge and get settled in my room. Alan, who is what we all called him, pointed me in the right direction and soon everyone was settled in. Then the fun started.

         The week was split into two sections, the section where we went camping on the apostle islands, which we would be canoeing out to, voyageur-style and the section in which we spend in the dorms on campus writing our final projects for our grade. The kickoff to the whole event was the speech that evening given to us by Ron Hobart, whom would be escorting us to the islands the next morning. Hobie, as everyone called him, talked to us about decisions and how one decision can change your life. He talked about how we each should create a list in our head of goals that we want to accomplish and if there is something on that list that is not getting done, then it’s time to rethink our strategy. It was at this point that I realized what an amazing week it was going to be.

         As the week went on, this proved to be very true. When canoeing with Rachel, Lauren, Colin, Crystal, and the other six campers, I really started to feel a connection. There is nothing like crossing Lake Superior on a calm day, moving in rhythm to the strokes of the paddles, and watching the world of nature. You feel attuned to everything that is going on around you, and you feel attuned to each other. You get a bond between each other that never goes away, just grows stronger every time a paddle hits the water.

         Another time was sitting around the campfire, during an old Indian tradition of passing a talking stone around listening to everyone talk about why he or she had come and what he or she had hoped to accomplish. Sitting in that circle and looking around at their faces in the firelight, made me want that moment to go on forever, to stay there forever, cause I truly now knew that life would never be the same.

         Leaving the apostles islands was hard, and when got back we all felt we had left a little piece of us behind. Still we had a blast those last few days on campus. Everyone chose something to write about. Many chose poems, one a long poem, two chose essays, and three of us did short stories. We presented them to each other on Sunday, July 28th, 2002.

         Going home was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. Leaving them all behind, knowing that I would not see them again for a long time, kept me sad for quite a few days. Still, I learned things from this experience that I didn’t even consider when going into it. I learned about college life, how a campus works, what it’s like to stay in dorms, and it no longer petrifies me as much as it used to. The people I met on this trip helped me to understand that in college, there will be people just like them there. I don’t have to be afraid of new places and people because I will always find friends wherever I go. Also because of this experience I know that I need to think and make good choices for my self, do things that will be right for me. I know they will impact me for the rest of my life.

         Life is all about decisions and change. We go through them everyday. Some we can’t control. That’s why it is important to make good decisions so that the changes in your life that you control can be positive ones. That’s what the change in my life has taught me: to make the right decisions for me.