Dead and Gone

So a new chapter of my life has started.  Ill put up a quick story to bring everyone up to speed.  In the fall of 2004 I started going to college and Iowa State.  Long story short, in the winter of 2008 I was academically dismissed; I flunked out.  Gave all kinds of reasons to people who asked about it, but never the truth.  I was embarrassed.  I mean, I know I'm intelligent, but how could I have flunked out, literally.  Flunked.  Out.  Now I see all the errors in my ways.  I'm not gonna go into that here other than I was lazy, irresponsible and just not ready to be independent.

Fast forward to the present.  After a year and a half of trying to go back, ISU finally accepted my case for reinstatement.  In fact, they initially denied it, and I would not have been able to go back, but I decided to take the trip and talk to someone in person.  This was Friday, August 20th.  Classes started on the following Monday, it was down to the wire.  After a conversation with the chairperson for the committee that decided my fate he told me, "You will need to get at minimum a 2.0 GPA every semester that you remain here.  If you have even one semester below that you will be dismissed again, and there will be no more chances.  Do you think you can do that?"  I said, "I know I can."  He responds with, "Ok, I'm going to reinstate you.  I don't believe you, but prove me wrong."  Probably not to anyone reading this, but it was intense.

Anyway, so now I look back at how I behaved in my past at college, and I almost don't even recognize myself.  I'm happy to say that I have changed and left the old me behind.  So when Dead and Gone by T.I. came on today it felt pretty good, cause I could relate, to at least a little part of that song.  I'm ready.