Even if that means putting all of your homework off for days.
The freshman makes lists of things she would like to do someday. As soon as she finishes her Spanish homework she’ll look up the chords for Hey Jude on guitar. As soon as midterms are over she’ll drive out to the lake for a picnic. In the summer she’ll read The Brothers Karamazov. But not now. There is no time. Because right now she has to check her email 12 times between dinner and bed. She has to finish her reading response and critical review essay. She has to schedule dinner with her roommate. She has to go to practice. She has to go to bed. Eat. Work. Sleep. Shower (ok let’s be honest, that was the first thing to go). Repeat. And blink-- an entire year, over.
Ten months worth of planner pages lay tattered and tired from the triumphant crossing out of bulleted To Do lists. Now she can write an email to a high school friend about all the “things she did” that year. And actually, the written “story” looks impressively productive (as do the myriad of Facebook albums).
And yet, why does she still feel vaguely stagnant? Why does her breathlessness seem to stem from a sprint inside a hamster wheel?
To the freshman of the America, I entreat:
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Do not put life on hold for the sake of what you’re “supposed” to be doing. You are not a student. You are a human being that goes to school. So go to school. But live your life. (I hate American Eagle for making me hate that cliche.)
*POST SCIPT*
I am not suggesting that all freshman boys spend an entire semester playing World of Warcraft until 4:00 in the morning. The difference between doing what you truly WANT to do and being a slacker is not always clear. Does marijuana make you hyper-aware of reality or sedated and stupid? I guess what I’m trying to say is...be high on life, not on drugs. (I am such a peace studies major.)
(The wisest comic of all time. This particular strip got me through senior year of college)
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