works archive   featured selection - 9 17 2001

biography     Moving out of the structure that housed you for over 14 years causes one to rethink what it means to be home. No longer are you comforted by the little things; whether it be the unique aroma collected by decades of human inhabitance or the tiny imperfections of family life. Even though relocating has become such a common decadence of the human traveling instinct, there most always seems to be a sense of nostalgia towards one’s origins. Why else do adopted children spend half of their lives tracking down their birth parents? Or on a larger scale, why do historians research evolution? The answer is not necessarily what these people are looking for, but more often a sense of belonging - a sense of purpose.         I believe that reason is why I have decided to take the giant step out of the playground and into the classroom. To hopefully realize the kind of person I want to be and then strive towards that goal. Yes, although breaking away from the security and solace of parental direction is proving to be quite a difficult procedure, the results will hopefully be well worth the effort. The only problem now is coping with a new environment, a larger scale of "education", and the overwhelming amount of opportunities as well as responsibilities brought forth by the involvement in an upper level institution.         So why not just get a job after high school? Buy a car, rent an apartment, get married - you know, all the things that people are supposed to do. Because that’s not what life is. Life is not doing what you’re supposed to do. The question then becomes "why do you have to settle for something?". Should you compromise your life and possibly your happiness? There must be something more. That is why I decided to go to college. That is why I try to mold myself to the world, not the other way around. To find my own personality. My name is Daine Vineyard, I am 18 years of age, and my life is simply beginning.