Reality Check

Going to college is like living in your own little bubble.  Your priorities are school, your health, and maintaining and building relationships (not necessarily in that order for everyone).  Your biggest worries are maybe the paper you need to write, that interview on Friday, when was the last time you went to the gym?, laundry is piling up and clean underwear sounds pleasant, what are your plans this Saturday night, and why isn’t that guy responding to your texts.  All of those “issues” seem so relevant in college because that makes up your existence.

But, sometimes, especially myself, a good reality check is needed and necessary to help keep in mind, there’s life outside of college and the world doesn’t revolve around my selfish life.  Especially as teenagers and young adults, we’re intrinsically self-centered, and when life decides to show you that’s not how it should be, it can be extremely eye opening, shocking, upsetting, and a plethora of other emotions.

I’ve had two recent reality checks, the first made more of an impact, though, but I’d like to discuss both.  A friend had texted me that there was a message on Facebook from her, and when I read it, I should be sitting down.  I assumed it was about she and her boyfriend, so while amongst a group of friends I proceeded to read a devastating tale about a friend I used to work with.  Said friend had suffered a heart attack, several mini strokes, a blood clot in her head, and wasn’t breathing on her own.  I called my friend and proceeded to repeat the phrases, “I can’t believe it” and “Oh my gosh,” for twenty minutes and then as I cried a close friend comforted me for about an hour.

Earlier that day I was frustrated because classes had been cancelled and I had work to finish that could no longer work on.  I was worried about upcoming events and deadlines.  I was just existing in my bubble, and this terrible news, it shook me.  Life is so fragile, and in an instant it can be severed or change forever.  Luckily, my friend is doing so much better, breathing on her own, posting things on Facebook, and recovering, and I am so thankful.  Sometimes in college, I forget to take the time to care for my friends and family that aren’t with me.  I can get so caught up in the now, and my life, that birthdays slip by unnoticed, writing letters gets put on the back burner, making phone calls just seems to take up too much time from my life.  And that shouldn’t be the case because you can’t get time back and you don’t want to regret not talking to someone or telling someone you love them because you were living in your bubble.

Today in my Nonfiction II class, we discussed minimum wage jobs, welfare, and economic status because we had just read a passage from Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America.  The information is unsettling.  How do single mothers work two jobs and pay rent and buy groceries to feed their children?  How can anyone work two jobs, barely sleeping, barely getting by, and just to survive?  How do people manage to stay positive about life while suffering this special kind of miserable penury?  I don’t know, and this reading, really shook me.  I am so grateful that I am even going to college and receiving an incredible education because not everyone has that opportunity because of finances.  I know I complain that some of my friends have things handed to them (cars, college tuition is paid for, rent is covered by their parents, etc), but just the fact that I am here means a lot to me.  I’m fortunate that I don’t have to work and put myself through school (I’ll just be in debt when I graduate).  I may not be swimming in money, but I have a meal plan that supplies me with food every day, I have a comfortable dorm, and am living with a friend, and I have transportation to get me places, and I can afford extra items, such as frozen yogurt when I crave it or a blazer for a job interview.

We all have our selfish moments and sometimes we merely exist in our own little world, but in the bigger scheme of things, nothing is as bad as it seems.  Though we think our problems are massive and terrible, somewhere out there someone has it so much worse.  So next time I am stressing over a paper I need to write, I am going to take the time to appreciate that I’m learning at college and have the opportunity to gain an education by writing this paper.  Reality check: I don’t have reason to complain.

It’s Finally Summer

I was not made for winter.  Anything under 80 degrees is cold to me.  I have never purchased a long sleeve shirt because I prefer tank tops and short sleeved T’s.  I’d much rather wear flip flops than boots.  And though I think snow is beautiful and I don’t mind shoveling it because it is a good workout; I’d much rather be at the beach or swim in a pool.  And unfortunately, despite my strong dislike for winter, the season stubbornly stayed and persisted to wreak it’s coldness for days and days.

It wasn’t until today that I truly felt like summer has officially arrived, and I could not be happier.  I feel like it isn’t summer until very early in the morning it’s hot.  I do not count the days in which it begins at 50 degrees and then slowly reaches 75 degrees by the heat of the day; that is not summer.  Summer is when you are up at 6 in the morning, and you already feel the humidity and the sun is beating down on you and the heat is obvious; that is a true summer day.  And this morning when I awoke, the weather was definitely hot.

Today is a quintessential summer day not simply because of the heat, though.  I could smell clean cut grass, and everywhere I looked people were decked out in shorts.  Plus, I am going to the beach today with some friends.  My ankle is decorated in my typical summer jewelry, an anklet, and if I had my toe rings with me at college, I’d be sporting one of them.  And I have to break out the sunscreen for today.  To celebrate the arrival of summer, I played a favorite, bouncy, pop song by All Time Low: ‘The Beach.’  And, sunglasses are indispensable today (and sunglasses are my favorite accessory).

Summer is special to me for numerous reasons.  I am a summer baby and in 48 days I’ll be nineteen.  Both my parents’ birthdays are also in summer, so even more birthday celebrations.  My dad usually takes off work in the summer, and since I’ve been away at college, it’ll be nice to spend time with him.  With summer comes the opening of our family’s pool, which means I am constantly inviting friends over to come swimming with me.  My best friend has a beach house, and she and I and a few other friends swear we are going to take advantage of it.  During summer I get to write as much as I want because I have more time, and I get to read books I’ve been dying to read all school year.  With all my friends home from college, I’ll get to reconnect with beloved pals.  Also, with the warm weather, I can spend so much more time outside.  And, I like to draw with chalk during the summer time.  Also, during the summer I see my close family, uncles and grandparents, more often because we’ll hang out on a random weekend and my dad will grill burgers and dogs.  My mom makes her famous potato salad, and my family visits Rita’s Water Ice to indulge in a special summery treat.  And, with summer, I open my car’s sun roof and blare poppy upbeat music because during summer, I am always in a great mood.  20 more days of college, and then I’ll be home free to soak up the summer sun.

So, blare some Beach Boys, treat yourself to a popsicle and wear a pair of flip flops today because, yes, it is finally summer.