An Old Intern

There is a Bonnie Raitt song, Angels from Montgomery that has the first line,

“I am an old woman.”

That song and that line has been rumbling around in my head this week as I have started grad school for my masters in social work at the age of fifty-seven.

I have gotten some raised eyebrows and a few sympathetic “Good for you!” pats on the back.

A few colleagues have questioned not “why?” but rather “why at your age?”

Why would I attempt this?

What does it matter?

Why take on that cost? That stress?

A couple of well-intentioned friends have tried to get me to reconsider.

Yet I’m still moving forward with a plan that I have wanted for my future long ago.

Why because I am old woman and tomorrow, I will be an older woman.

Yes, I close my eyes at the debt and will have to hope this additional degree will pay off financially. However, I am seeking further knowledge because I want to be better equipped to help those in need.

Yes, the stress, but the stress of staying in the same job where there is no future worries me more.

The time commitment I have already learned after my first week is extensive. I will need to make sure I am still able to lead a fulfilling well rounded purposeful life while going to school and working full time. I will need to make sure I am still building time for life and those I love. I don’t want to resent this journey. I want to embrace it with gusto of the young me who wanted this dream.

This is the middle chapter in my memoir. The me that had a plan and continued whether others said it was the right thing to do or not.

I haven’t seen the movie “The Intern” but a few people have told me about it. Robert Dinero is a seventy-year-old intern who has attended school late in life. I think in reality when I start doing internships, it will be interesting to see if I constantly have to defend going back to school when in another ten years I will be retiring. Bring it on, I’m ready.

When I went to pick up my books I stood out like a sore thumb. Yes I am getting a sweatshirt too! Bring it on!

Yes, I am an old woman, and I will be some organizations very experienced intern.

This is the point in my memoir where I get ready for the second half. I am a strong believer that age is just a number. Now my achy bones may say different, but really there is only this one life we have to live. Why not get everything out of it that we can, achy bones and all. I have always done everything on a different time- table. I got married at forty-two, bought our first house at fifty-two when I became a fur baby mom for the first time. Age really is just a number. I love this meme.

“You know those things you wanted to do; you should do them!”

I still plan to continue my writing journey as well. Writing brings me so much joy. I have committed to myself that I will need it to manage the stress of being an old student. I also still want my novel to be published so I just will do both.

I am an old woman who is giving herself a second chance at the position and degree she deserves. This old woman will still be a fur baby mom, a wife, sister, friend, writer and now I will be a student who is younger than she will ever be again

I do not own rights to this music. Here is the song, Angel From Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt for your enjoyment!

Thank you for reading!