Before my son, Aaron, was old enough to go
to camp or school, he asked me one night as I was putting him to bed, “Mama? Is
college on the big road?” I was taken aback as I considered “the big road of
life” and the depth of this philosophical question asked by a mere
four-year-old. A moment later I realized he wasn’t talking about the big road
of life. He was referring to the Interstate Highway System.
Aaron had always had a bit of a fear about
the Interstate. Until he was nearly ten years old, every time we were about to
get in the car to go anywhere he’d ask with trepidation in his voice, “Are we
going on the big road?” There was no explanation that I knew of for his phobia.
We were never in any car accident, not even a close call. But, he had this fear
just the same. Consequently, it was always difficult to get him to leave the
house for new experiences except when it came to sports. At fourteen, he still
preferred to stay at home and this sometimes worried me about his future. Will
he ever get on the big road of life? Will he ever leave home?
Well, the answer has now been revealed. And
it is an unequivocal, “Yes!” Aaron is on the big road. On May 10, 2014, he will
graduate from the University of Memphis with his degree in Sports Management.
He is so excited about the big road. He has plans. Big ones. While taking the
last few classes he needed to finish his degree, he has been holding down two
part-time jobs—both aligned to his field of study. He also has negotiated
summer experiences over the past few years that have helped build his resumé. And to top it all off, he is in a committed relationship with a lovely young
woman who shares his desire to pursue a career in education. I couldn’t be more
proud.
A couple months ago Aaron called me with
that familiar sounding panic in his voice. He was about to become the primary
renter of his apartment and consequently be in charge of collecting the rent
and utilities payment splits from two new roommates. He had just learned that
the electricity was about to be turned off because the former primary renter
had called Memphis Light Gas and Water to cancel his responsibility. “What do I
do?” Aaron asked me. I instructed that he needed to call the company, explain
the situation, and, I assured him, whoever he was transferred to did this kind
of thing every day, hundreds of times a day, and that he would not be made to
feel like he didn’t know what he was doing. I suspect Aaron then took a deep
breath, bracing himself for the unknown, before making the call to MLGW. Only a
few minutes later he called me back to excitedly report, “I have my own account
with the electric company!” I marveled at the cuteness of being excited about
having one’s very own monthly bill. I think I got a tear in my eye.
As I prepare to watch my son step up on the
stage of the FedEx Center on the campus of the University of Memphis to accept
his diploma, I know I’ll be thinking of that four-year-old boy asking me, “Mama?
Is college on the big road?” And I’ll be waiting with open arms to congratulate
him afterwards to say, “Welcome to the big road, Sweetheart.”
