Little efforts assist during change

I was nervous the first time getting behind the wheel.

I had already delayed the process by three months, using the basketball season as an excuse to not start the driver’s ed program to earn my learners permit. Once I obtained the permit, I avoided driving on the constantly busy main roads in Oak Creek and South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until I finally felt comfortable handling a car.

Getting a full-time job worked out similarly.

I could have been applying for jobs as early as August 2022. Instead, I was able to justify waiting until the following January because “my industry doesn’t like to hire ahead of time.” Ultimately, that “justification” worked as an excuse to just focus on my final year at the University of Wisconsin — to spend my time with my roommates and my girlfriend Emily, and enjoying my final Badgers basketball season.

Following graduation, I could no longer delay and had to start applying for jobs. Once I decided on the position at The Commercial Review, I came in at a time between the winter and spring sports season so that I could take my time getting comfortable handling a full-time job.

It has now been one month and six days since my first day on the job.

Things aren’t perfect yet. I still sleep like a college student (going to bed at 2 a.m. mixed with naps during the day to supplement the sleep I lost out on the night before), have to learn the ropes to sports I haven’t covered previously and how to develop the diet of a healthy adult. That being said, things have gone well and I am starting to feel comfortable with the change.

Once I started understanding my car better, I branched out onto the busier roads of southeastern Wisconsin. For about two months I felt like I had a handle on driving and could even take the drivers test right then and there.

Everything was going great … and then Wisconsin winter hit.

I understand the split shift schedule a lot better than when I first started. I’ve met many new people that I will be working with during my years here. I’ve had my first Friday deadline, written a handful of game and feature stories and had my first “panic day” on Monday where I wasn’t prepared to cover every story. I’ve gotten through all of it and am starting to feel comfortable.

Just as the first 12-inch snowfall interfered with 15-year-old Andrew’s comfort, a little bit of homesickness is plaguing me now.

For the first few weeks, I didn’t have the opportunity to really miss Madison, Oak Creek or the people I left there. Now that I have more time, it has come up more often.

There was only one way to learn how to handle the road during the snow-laden winters — practice.

After a couple days of heavy snowfall, my dad took me to my elementary school parking lot that had yet to be plowed, and just let me feel things out. I spent an hour or two just driving at various speeds, testing the brakes and learning how to turn and accelerate in the snow through trial-by-error.

He then had me drive the 7 miles home on some of the quieter roads. The confidence I had built by slamming on the brakes and seeing how long it took the car to stop was what I needed. I quickly learned from there how to drive in poor conditions.

Just as it took a little bit of effort and practice to drive, a little bit of effort has calmed my homesickness.

Not every effort has been a grand ordeal, but they all have helped me connect with the friends and family I have left behind.

I’ve started calling my mom every time I walk between my apartment and work.

A couple of times Emily has set up a video call, during which we agree to just focus on each other — no work, school or phones are used to make sure we are able to focus on connecting over distance.

I’ve started a folder of Google Sheets documents that two of my friends use to update the college basketball rosters as players declare for the NBA draft or the transfer portal. We don’t always communicate everything, but we will send each other a weekly update with notable moves to keep a constant conversation going over text.

I was able to visit with a former roommate who now lives in Dayton, Ohio. We have another visit planned for early May for him to come and spend a weekend.

Moving to a different state, six hours away from where I grew up hasn’t been the easiest transition. At the end of the day, it’s the little efforts like these that have helped me learn to adjust to the conditions and find comfort in what I’m doing, where I am and who I’m without.