The only thing that gets me through finals (other than coffee) is looking forward to the relaxing summer and then the new start next semester. Each week we print a new issue, it’s (almost) like a blank slate and a low-stress, fresh start. I think that it’s really important to be able to have this “reset” once in while and move forward.
Over the weekend, I had a really big disagreement with a friend and I think (or hope) that the same “reset” logic can be applied here. Sometimes people just need a break from each other. It’s good to get some space, maybe send a few texts, Snapchats, or Slack messages, and then come back happy in the fall semester.
With some groups, this reset happens naturally. For example, “my Stute family” freshman year. It was great. We would always see the same people on Tuesday and Thursday nights in the office to make the paper. That was basically it. I never really bothered with them outside of the second floor of Jacobus, and so we never really got too annoyed or exhausted from each other (that I know of). Then, we started the next semester doing the same thing. We had no problems because it was more like we were colleagues than best friends.
With other groups of friends, you kind of need to force yourself to take some time apart. I had this kind of friend in high school. We were in pretty much all of the same classes and extracurriculars. It seemed like a good idea, and it was a ton of fun, but we also got on each other’s nerves sometimes.
For the friend that I had a disagreement with over the weekend, it was just not the way I wanted to end this year and say goodbye until after the summer. I guess in the middle of CPAC weekend craziness, me scrambling keep track of Editor-in-Chief tasks, and both of us feeling the end-of-semester pressure of classes, there weren’t a lot of positive vibes between us. Plus, we can both be really stubborn people and we know how to get under each other’s skin.
I have to say that it’s really fun to be involved with your friends if you have the same interests, but take time for yourself, too. Me-time-Mondays are not overrated.
When we all come back to campus (minus the seniors, but I’ll save that for next issue) and it’s Orientation and sunny every day — when my friend and I forget that we had our little fight, and we can actually stand being around each other — then I’m looking forward to the fresh start and an amazing junior year of college.
