September 2021
First day as a Teaching Assistant in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC).
Most times when we look forward to first days of new adventures or journeys – transferring to a new school, buying a new home, starting a new business, changing cities, a new job, a new love relationship, or anything (I would totally love a new milestone thingy: grad school!!) – we may experience those micro-chippy, sleepless, anxious, happy twilights. If you are like me, then it’s a full-blown vigil: all night long baby – eyes wide open – because the first day of the best days of the rest of your days is literally hours away!! Look at that rhyme, such a mouthful; say it again! The first day of the best days of the rest of your days is literally hours away.
So, the day had better break, and fast too! And then what? Tick-tock, tick-tock, the days pass, the wind blows, the pizza’s cold, and time just flies by fast or slow – whatever sprinkles your doughnut. Well, you get my drift. Time tests our firsts; consider it somewhat of a litmus test, or rather a process test. It’s usually surreal for me when something I once looked forward to becomes a shiny feather on my cap or not! It may have turned out to be one of those exes I roll my eyes and purse my lips at when I recall, or those moments of convenient amnesia (yay!). My point is, I try to take stock several calendar days after each time I had my firsts to ask myself, is this satisfying smile genuine? Have I been totally awesome and mindful of my best self? Or do I feel a faint anguish of the coulda, woulda, shoulda? One thing is for sure: tomorrow is a new first day of the best days of the rest of my life, and I better make it count. Firsts come, and then forward!
I like to remind myself of a lovely piece of advice I got from a wise man who once told me, “Be at peace with your decisions,” and even when you may have made a bleh call – because you are only human and it happens to the best of us – be at peace, and move on!
I saw the Netflix series Manifest a few days before my first day of fall classes, and it made me fall in love again with the words, “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD.” I take a deep, grateful breath as I find my voice to speak through the first blog (whoop!) of my essence; the world needs love, faith, healthy food, good relationships, laughter, genuine friendships, education, and innovation.
When I go for my firsts, I look forward to lots of support from family, friends, and mentors and put in the right amount of action from my awesome self, keeping in mind that the journey of a thousand mile begins with the first step. First days are only the beginning of several significant hours of grinding, learning, unlearning, relearning, thinking, planning, executing, implementing, crying, sighing, laughing, collaborating, partnering, befriending, creating, innovating, thrilling, and lots of o’-ing… then slowing, plus traffick-ing (like the traffic we had the first day of class, haha). Phew!
There is no better place on earth to be right now than the Norman Borlaug Institute in Aggieland! I will be instructing my first undergraduate class next week, and I’m looking forward to some groundbreaking fun!
Gig ‘em grad Aggies, and enjoy the first semester!!!
– Woome
Olawunmi Ilesanmi is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications.
Most times when we look forward to first days of new adventures or journeys – transferring to a new school, buying a new home, starting a new business, changing cities, a new job, a new love relationship, or anything (I would totally love a new milestone thingy: grad school!!) – we may experience those micro-chippy, sleepless, anxious, happy twilights. If you are like me, then it’s a full-blown vigil: all night long baby – eyes wide open – because the first day of the best days of the rest of your days is literally hours away!! Look at that rhyme, such a mouthful; say it again! The first day of the best days of the rest of your days is literally hours away.
So, the day had better break, and fast too! And then what? Tick-tock, tick-tock, the days pass, the wind blows, the pizza’s cold, and time just flies by fast or slow – whatever sprinkles your doughnut. Well, you get my drift. Time tests our firsts; consider it somewhat of a litmus test, or rather a process test. It’s usually surreal for me when something I once looked forward to becomes a shiny feather on my cap or not! It may have turned out to be one of those exes I roll my eyes and purse my lips at when I recall, or those moments of convenient amnesia (yay!). My point is, I try to take stock several calendar days after each time I had my firsts to ask myself, is this satisfying smile genuine? Have I been totally awesome and mindful of my best self? Or do I feel a faint anguish of the coulda, woulda, shoulda? One thing is for sure: tomorrow is a new first day of the best days of the rest of my life, and I better make it count. Firsts come, and then forward!
I like to remind myself of a lovely piece of advice I got from a wise man who once told me, “Be at peace with your decisions,” and even when you may have made a bleh call – because you are only human and it happens to the best of us – be at peace, and move on!
I saw the Netflix series Manifest a few days before my first day of fall classes, and it made me fall in love again with the words, “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD.” I take a deep, grateful breath as I find my voice to speak through the first blog (whoop!) of my essence; the world needs love, faith, healthy food, good relationships, laughter, genuine friendships, education, and innovation.
When I go for my firsts, I look forward to lots of support from family, friends, and mentors and put in the right amount of action from my awesome self, keeping in mind that the journey of a thousand mile begins with the first step. First days are only the beginning of several significant hours of grinding, learning, unlearning, relearning, thinking, planning, executing, implementing, crying, sighing, laughing, collaborating, partnering, befriending, creating, innovating, thrilling, and lots of o’-ing… then slowing, plus traffick-ing (like the traffic we had the first day of class, haha). Phew!
There is no better place on earth to be right now than the Norman Borlaug Institute in Aggieland! I will be instructing my first undergraduate class next week, and I’m looking forward to some groundbreaking fun!
Gig ‘em grad Aggies, and enjoy the first semester!!!
– Woome
Olawunmi Ilesanmi is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications.