I have a lot of opinions on Thanksgiving and the decent-sized holiday break that we get because of it. It is a rough break to navigate because there is so much to do, and you just do not have as much time as some of the longer breaks you get. Everyone is home, whether that is a good or bad depends on who you’re talking to. Personally, I like the occasional trip home to catch up on some sleep and just do nothing. However, Thanksgiving break seems to prevent me from being able to take that time to myself, which can get irritating. It seems like I have to attend four different Thanksgivings due to relationships, family drama, and other strange sets of circumstances. It can be incredibly exhausting to have the same conversations with different people every day of the break up until I am back in the car on the way to school. Coupled with the same food choices for a full week straight, come Saturday, I am at my wits’ end and just about boiling over.
The break isn’t all bad, though. Seeing family is fun, whether it is immediate or distant relatives. It can be fun at times to catch up with those you haven’t seen in a while. Sure, it’s awkward to navigate conversations with your one cousin who likes pirates a little bit too much, but it’s manageable and can even be nice to do once in a blue moon. The best part of the break in my opinion is seeing my friends from home, though we don’t talk much over the semester because everything gets overwhelming, and we can’t make time, but it is nice to get together and hang out like we used to before school was stressful. It’s weird going from very little communication right back to the way things used to be, but it’s comfortable. It’s nice to have those people in your life that you feel good enough around to be yourself even after a time away.
Whenever breaks happen, I feel like I am always scrambling to get things done and see the people I want to before having to come back to school. Thanksgiving break is so short, and I wish I had more time to see these people, but it is what it is. I try to power through, realizing that it was my last Thanksgiving break here at Stevens is weird. I wonder if, in two years, I will feel the same way about Stevens that I do about home. I am always very excited to go home when given the chance, but maybe I am missing opportunities to cherish the moments I have now. Maybe I neglect some of the great friends I have made here because my mind is focused on seeing the people from back home. But who knows? It’s all about finding a balance between the past and the present in order to set yourself up for the future, I guess. I hope I can maintain good relationships with everyone from home and here at school so that when the time comes, I won’t have regrets and can look back on all these years with content. Make the most of your time here, make the most of your time at home, and try to live a life that makes you feel good. I guess that’s all any of us can really do. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and are recharged for the rest of the semester.
