Monday and yesterday marked the end of the two part-time jobs I've held for the last one and two years, respectively. One was as a lifeguard at the local pool, and the other was as a waiter at an assisted living facility. Lifeguarding paid better and was more convenient in a lot of ways, but you know what? I liked serving meals to the elderly better.

I've rarely blogged about it, probably because it was usually fairly routine, but all the same, there is something extraordinary that goes on there: Good old-fashioned sacrificial love. There have been some singular examples of this throughout history, but at my job it happened in smaller amounts every day: People putting the good of others above their own desires and working against the selfish tendencies present in us all. Husbands visiting wives who don't even remember that they are married. Children and grandchildren regularly making time out of their days to come and help feed their parents and grandparents. Co-workers pausing what they are doing to listen to rambling narratives from residents. That is real love, and I have been inspired by being around so many people who honestly love their jobs. You're not in this type of job for the money, or if you are, you don't stay long. If you want to start at minimum wage, you can cook fries at McDonald's or something.

So now I've given Sherwood the shout-out it deserves, and now my room is bare of all my personal effects save for what I am taking with me on the airplane (Fun fact: my Lego collection is taking up more space than all the other things I'm leaving behind). Tomorrow I leave for Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, most likely to pursue a double major in English and Theatre Arts. As my time here has drawn to a close I have found myself growing steadily less excited to be leaving almost everything and everyone I have ever known (Being sick probably isn't helping this, either), but I am resolved to do away with such fears and anxieties and make sure that these are some of the best years of my life.

Also, the audio program that made Justin Bieber sound incredible is amazing and I am now using it to make Weird Al, 8-bit Dr. Horrible music, and the trolololo guy sound incredible as well. That last one would not be out of place in a haunted house.