All,
It’s funny how being busier than ever can be a therapeutic experience if you fall into the right places. With club participation declining across the board, it’s a truth that bears mention.
I’m a pretty good example, I think. It’s senior year for me. As that mind-blowing reality slowly sinks in, I’ve devoted more and more time to thinking about the real word, about missing my friends and about carving my own path. Interestingly, I signed up for more extracurricular activities than ever before this year, too. You’d think I would be more stressed out because of it. You’d think that, with senior papers and requirements and my crippling inability to not fall behind, I would be worried about the track my life has taken.
Against all odds, I’m not. Honestly, I couldn’t be any more thankful for having the activities that I have.
First of all, there’s the Blend, Wheaton’s (gasp!) only co-ed a cappella group. By the time this hits the press, I will have performed at the Norton Middle School with ’em. Honestly, the Blend is quite possibly the coolest group of any kind I’ve ever been a part of. I tried out because I wanted to sing, but I now realize that my group is about more than that. I feel like I’m a part of a family. I feel like, no matter how my day is going, I can enter the rehearsal room and feel safe for two hours. If the world is getting me down, I can sing with my friends and feel like I’m part of something truly incredible. It’s an invaluable feeling; a privilege of the highest sort.
Same deal with the Wire, really. I love this job and the people I work with. It’s a lot of hard work, no doubt. Sometimes, it cuts into my social life. Sometimes, it cuts into my academic life, too. I can see my advisor cringing as he reads the latter. I’d love to say otherwise, but I’d be lying. Any leadership position at Wheaton is a major responsibility. Like my peers, I take it seriously.
Still, I get the sense that, based on my oft-serious letters, people think this job is something of a struggle. In reality, it’s so, so fun for me. I get to work with the nicest, smartest people. I get to work on a weekly newspaper. I get to go to Washington to meet Michael Hayden (okay, that was once, but still). It’s amazing. It’s work, but it’s catharsis. Without it, I’d be lost.
So, as we near the point of no return with work and consequent stress, I urge you to stick with your passions. We all need release and we all need an outlet. And hey, maybe yours could be the Wire. That would be especially awesome.
In the meantime, keep your head up. It’s November; it’s darker and it’s colder, sicker and busier. But you’ve got this. It might not be easy, but you’ve got this.
–Alex