Layers of Post Grad

By Allison Sass

I saw the movie Inception last night... yes I know, I am behind the times, but I saw it in theaters for $1.00, so I'm gonna say it was worth the wait.  The movie involved the process of having dreams within dreams within dreams, you know the feeling when you think you wake up from a dream but you're really in another one?  I couldn't help but  think about how much this idea parallels post grad life.

Sometimes I think about my post grad life in terms of layers.  Layer 1 is sort of the broad acceptance of the fact that I am no longer a college student/ a semi-real adult.

Layer 2 focuses on my desire to succeed in post grad life, and all that accompanies success: healthy relationships, a career, making use of my college education. I often reach layer 2 when I focus too much on layer 1.

Layer 3 is what I like to think of as my post grad inner child.  In this inner most layer, I become lost in thoughts about what life could be like if only I were a few more years younger, lived closer to home, and had time to rethink the direction of my life.

It's so easy for me to get lost in these layers, consumed by what could be or should be... but then I get a kick. In Inception, the "kick" is that feeling of falling that wakes you up out of a dream, the jolt that brings you back to reality.

In the post grad world, my "kick" is my paycheck, my freedom, or the thrill of finding another article relating to water conservation that I can blog about for my company (don't mock me, this is my life).  These "kicks" bring me out of my post grad layers and back into reality. But, much like dreaming, I know I'll fall back into my layered fantasies sooner or later. Let's just hope these kicks keep on coming!