The semester is over! It’s pretty unbelievable to say the least, but I’m not going to argue.

Just let me at my finals, and I’m outta here. Well, at least until next semester.

Call me crazy, but didn’t we all learn lots during these past few months? I hope I did, because when it comes time for me to see my relatives during the festive holiday season, I’ll have to tell them something good.

However, I really haven’t done or learned all too much of anything worth writing about here. But I sure did get a lot out of last week’s Free Friday Flick. It was Disney’s version of Pocahontas.

My two movie-going friends and I had an entertaining evening, but if you haven’t seen this interesting flick, don’t worry because I won’t spoil too much of the intense, tear-jerking dramatic episodes that overload all of your senses during the course of this turbulent tale.

However, I will share with you the fact that by the end of this movie, we all walked away from Carver Hall into the chilly night with some wholesome words to live by, all thanks to those clever Disney people.

In the Disney version, Pocahontas was lucky enough to have a wise old grandmother tree to chat with for advice. I myself have never been able to find such talented timber in all my years, so it was mighty invigorating to see that Pocahontas was in with that leafy crowd.

Luckily the tree was a wise and the sappy one who knew what was going down. Grandmother Willow, as the talking tree was so aptly named, told Pocahontas she must follow her own river when she was debating what she should do.

I just thought that was the greatest thing a tree could ever hope to mumble during its lifetime. That night I went home with visions of a smiley-faced willow tree concretely pasted to my mind.

I got up the next morning and said, “Today I am going to follow my own river!” (albeit, without a canoe or raging rapids).

Being the individual I am, though, I am determined not to be a cookie-cutter version of anyone else. I am determined to seek out adventure and knowledge and trudge into uncertainty with excitement sparkling in my eyes.

And this summer I’ll be following my own river to Europe with my traveling companion. We are going to get our feet a little bit wet and wander across wondrous places such as Sweden, England, Italy, France, Germany and Spain to name a few.

It may not be the smooth river we’ll find ourselves traveling down, but sometimes, as Pocahontas reminds us all, the smooth river is not the river for you.

If your river has never taken you there, I’d like to share with you some of the wonders of downtown Des Moines.

Whenever Ames is a bit on the slow side when it comes to adventure and fun, which it tends to be more than not, I head on down to Iowa’s biggest city.

My favorite place to run off to in that busting metropolis is the cool coffee shop Java Joe’s. If you’ve never been there, you are truly missing out on the best mochas in the state. And believe me, I’ve tried a lot.

The best thing to do on a boring weekend is gather up a truckload of friends and make your way to that happening coffee shop. Then, once there, order some great coffee and prepare yourself to get creative.

I’ve found there isn’t a better place to let your creative juices flow. Sippin’ some java and throwing words together on a piece of blank paper makes for some great poetry.

But there is more to do in Des Moines than drink coffee and express yourself on paper. Have you ever played beneath the huge green umbrella sculpture across the street from the Civic Center? Have you ever visited the capitol building just for fun?

Des Moines really has a spirit you won’t find anywhere around Ames. It’s too bad there has to be such a great college in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, if you are ending this semester without many positive memories or without accomplishing any goals, make sure when you come back you are dedicated to following your own river and make things happen.

Grandmother Willow can’t be wrong. Have you ever heard a tree lie?

P.S. Thanks to Jen Schroeder for the funky picture.

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Aaron Barstow will soon be following his own river to Cape Cod and a semester break full of fun.