I feel as if I have been in college for decades at this point, perhaps eons. Every day I grow more tired of the mundane and meaningless and yearn for something uplifting. Across the campus, I see love, both new and old, everywhere I look. As I reflect on my years here, love is one of the words I would use frequently to describe how I feel about the people I interact with and the things I do. However, it is not love in the romantic sense. I have been in a long-distance relationship since the start of my time here at Stevens Tech. It has been an up-and-down roller coaster for sure, but I am 100% happy that I have stuck with it through this time. College is a stressful part of life, and having someone in your corner to support you from the outside can never hurt. As I have learned and grown as a person, that aspect of my life has remained constant, and for that, I am grateful.
However, since the point of this column is for me to talk about my time here specifically, I will also discuss the different types of love I have experienced during my time here. One thing my lovely copy editors at The Stute have mentioned several times to me is my love of unnecessary commas, which they then need to fix. I love commas, and I very much enjoy writing, and without people to fix my errors, my writing would make no sense, and for that, I am appreciative. Straying away from The Stute-specific things, I have a great support network here at school. There is always someone willing to talk to me about whatever useless or stupid idea I may have. I love yapping so much, and anyone who is willing to listen to whatever ridiculous ideas I have is a great friend in my book, and they deserve all the love in the world.
During this time of year, it can be incredibly stressful if you do not have a ton of people in your life that you can immediately attribute the word “love” to. But the best part about this time of the year is remembering everything and everyone that can be and deserves to be loved in one way or another. Something that has helped me here is loving all the little things you can do, like a clear sky or a nice meal from a place off campus. At times, it can feel that there is nothing redeeming about the effort you have put in and the stress you have felt during the semester, but taking things one step at a time and trying to love every little thing you can is always helpful.
If you are struggling to come up with something to do this Valentine’s Day, remember that there is always something worth loving, and you should take the day to prioritize yourself and have a good time. This Valentine’s Day, I will be stuck on campus, unable to see the people I would normally spend it with, given the opportunity. If there is nothing that you can love or be grateful for this Valentine’s day, you can always download several of the many dating apps and desperately search for someone just as lonely as you and try to spend your time not lamenting life. My advice, as always, is to grow up and prioritize what really matters, but I know that isn’t going to affect the way you spend your Valentine’s Day. So do your best to stay safe and not get kidnapped!
