As the seasons change, the air begins to fill with a crisp coldness that always reminds me of winter. This is the type of air that nips at your skin and turns it red, forcing you to whip out your winter coat and layer up. The sky is overcome by darkness by 6 p.m., and it never fails to catch me by surprise. The sudden change in season always makes me feel tired, and the need for a winter recess is more prevalent now than ever. There’s only a short amount of time before break though — we just have to be patient! Right?
Yeah, that’s not as easy as it may seem.
I’ve always struggled with being patient. Sitting still has been an impossible feat for me from the moment that I was born. I had the urge to walk when I was just five months old — completely skipping over the crawling stage. My mom tried to hold me as a baby, but my tiny self would always shimmy out of her grasp. All I wanted was to plant my baby feet on the floor and run around, expending all of the pent-up, restless energy I had as a baby. By the age of seven months, this is exactly what I accomplished—much to my doctor’s surprise. Nowadays, I have to keep myself busy, or I feel as though I’m wasting precious time. Immediate outcomes and fast responses have become two of my favorite things. I’m certain that being born and raised in a bustling city, mixed with the traits of an overachiever, is to blame for my impatience; and now, as a sophomore in college, I’m really starting to see the flaws in my restless nature.
Winter recess can’t come fast enough! Thanksgiving break felt like a mean tease—a small taste of what winter recess has to offer. My brain is now on “break mode” because of it, and I find myself even more impatient than I was before. It’s not helping that the cold, dark days are increasing my sluggishness, and that winter break is so blinding in my line of sight. Since this is my first real year of college, this is my first time feeling the desperate need for a month off of school. Every day feels like I’m just…waiting.
That’s really what the Holiday Season is, though, if you think about it. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, there’s just days and weeks of waiting for Christmas; and once Christmas hits, it’s over and the magic is gone. Then we just wait until next year and, oh my, it’s a nightmare for an impatient person.
Yes, this is the season of “waiting,” yet the wait is, arguably, the most enjoyable part. During the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, there are festive decorations everywhere you turn. Bright lights and ornaments line each house, and stores dress up in their most impressive holiday cheer. No matter where you go, you will hear the sweet, familiar melodies of holiday songs. Everyone seems to be filled with a happy, excited spirit that is brought to life during this time of year. There is, quite frankly, nothing like it.
Even though it is certainly hard to believe in some situations, it is true that the wait is just as valuable as the main event. Patience is a virtue, and the proper attitude is necessary in making the most out of life. There is no way for me to speed up time and magically make winter break start sooner, so there’s nothing I can do but make the most out of the days leading up to it. Finals are scary and homework is overwhelming, but there’s a lot to learn from, and a lot I will miss out on if I don’t give it my all. After all, if everyone just skipped to Christmas Day, we would lose all of the amazing things that the holiday season has to offer.
As the semester comes to a close, and you find yourself growing more and more in need of a break, I hope that you muster up the patience to enjoy the last few moments we have left on campus. After that, I hope that you have a magical, well-awaited winter break and a Happy Holidays!
Second-Year Freshman is an Opinion column used to explore the unique experiences of Sophomore students who studied remotely their freshman year during the coronavirus pandemic, and are now experiencing campus life for the first time during the 2021-2022 academic year.
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