Monsters University and College Dropouts.

I have loved Disney movies since I was a little kid. They were my favorite movies and I definitely drove my parents crazy with how often I watched them. My dad can still sing all the songs from the Little Mermaid. As I got older I loved them even more and focused on their deeper meanings. One movie that sort of recently helped me make some decisions was Monsters University. 

When Monsters Inc came out in 2003, I was 8 and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. I loved Sully and Mike and Boo. Disney did not make a sequel to this until my 18th birthday. I actually was so excited I went on my birthday, opening night, to see it. And I am not a big fan of theaters on opening night, so that is saying a lot. I instantly loved it and thought it was adorable. I also thought it was helpful. I started college in the fall and was really nervous about it. I had been home-schooled my whole life and I was also painfully shy due to that fact that I was bullied. I didn't want to go to a big class and be bullied some more. When I saw that Mike was bullied and pretty much told he sucked, and then he went to college anyway, it made me feel better. I decided to go and figured if small Mike could do it, then I could too. My dream had always been to go to college, to graduate and to be successful in school. I walked onto campus the first day and said "I'm officially a college student!"

College went okay but was not what I was expecting. There isn't a guide book that they give you as soon as you turn 18. It would be helpful if they did though. You are told you are an adult and pretty much thrown into the big world. My parents prepared me as best as they could, and I didn't go in full force either. However it was still scary. I had imagined college to be this perfect, wonderful place that was going to make me feel important and smart. After my first semester, I realized it did not make me feel any of those things. It made me feel small and unimportant. I did not like the people I was around and I felt just alone. I walked on campus and dreaded classes instead of being excited. I also dropped a class because I could not handle the pressure. I was disappointed and depressed. 

I turned to Disney again to see if good ole Walt Disney had left me a manual somewhere in one of his stories. I wanted someone to tell me how I felt was okay. A lot of people I know would have been upset with me for wanting to quit so early in the game. Yet somehow I knew that college just wasn't for me. I came home one day and turned on Monsters University again and watched it till the end. Mike and Sully got kicked out of college and yet they became the best Scarers in their profession. I knew that I couldn't use that as an excuse for giving up on my dream. But maybe my dream had just changed a little. I thought long and hard about my decision. Prayed about it, discussed it with close friends and family, and then made my decision. I was dropping out of college. It was not a proud moment for me, and it wasn't something I shared with everyone. I didn't want people to look at me with disappointment. 

I finished the semester and then walked away. Most people regret their choice, maybe I will later on in life. However, I realized that Walt Disney had left me a manual on being an adult. It just wasn't the manual I was looking for. He tells us to follow our dreams and do what makes us happy. I was doing the opposite of that. I was doing what I thought everyone wanted for me, even what I thought I had wanted. Until I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I am going to do what makes me happy now, and if I change my mind later, then it is my choice. Even though it was not a popular choice, it was mine to make. That is what being an adult is about, it is about making decisions for yourself. Ones that will make you happy for the time being. Not make you happy 10 years from now. I am going to make decisions that will make me smile and make me happy. Because our lives are short and we really do not know how much time we all have left. Every day is gift and every tomorrow is a mystery. Walt Disney taught me a lot, and so has Mike and Sully. If I have learned anything important in my life, it is to follow YOUR dreams. No matter how big or small they are. They are yours and no one Else's.