I feel with graduation creeping up closer and closer every single day I sometimes forget to appreciate the little things that I love about college and life in general. I am writing this after an absolutely gorgeous day, and for the first time in a while, I was able to take it easy and just appreciate things that I don’t typically give time to focus on. Maybe it has been the hideous Hoboken winter or the stress of cramming everything I can into my last semester. With such little time left I feel a sense of urgency to do things and see people that I will not be able to on a daily basis. This is a predicament that I have faced, and I don’t quite know how to deal with it yet. It is always a process of trying to make plans with people who are going to be here next year, but not everyone seems to have the same sense of urgency, which makes sense, I wouldn’t either if graduation wasn’t right around the corner. But it can make it hard to do things with people who are also balancing the weight of their on-campus commitments. Every time I write one of these, I try to reflect on how my opinion about graduation is changing as the day draws nearer, but I think for my own sanity, I should try to focus on the day-to-day and enjoy the little things.
Today was nice. It felt good to take a back seat and not be responsible for making any plans or coming up with ideas. I just walked around with people that I crossed paths with. I feel like a large part of this column is me explaining my process of coming to terms with graduation, and every two weeks, I gain some new perspective on what’s to come during the rest of my time here and what my time after leaving might look like. I look forward to days when the weather is nice, and there isn’t much to do. I feel as if I always forget to appreciate the simple things around me, which is super easy to do when you are under the stress of classes and activities. This semester, I have been able to take a step back from involvement and am taking fewer courses, which is definitely helping. But this sense of urgency to constantly be doing things is filling the void and keeping me occupied.
I am excited for the break ahead because I think it will be a great opportunity to spend time with people without having to worry about any classes or activities. Right now, my plan is to go to Ireland and wander the countryside. Take a trip far, far away from Stevens, and hopefully gain some more perspective that will help me on my journey into adulthood. I am expecting a spiritual journey, but I will likely just get drunk. The two don’t seem to be mutually exclusive, so all I am really hoping for is to enjoy my time away. I guess I will clue you all in in about two weeks’ time. I hope you all have a safe and responsible spring break, it may seem like you need to go all out and do everything you can in the short time you have. But I will certainly be trying to appreciate the little things, and I hope you do too!
