1. Curse the groundhog for lying to us
Early spring, where are you? I’m pretty sure all of us were completely astounded to see snow falling as we prepared to leave on our respective breaks. Now, while some of us are sunbathing at the Virgin Islands, others are bundled up in central Virginia. Hopes remain high for the rest of this semester’s weather, but if we get another snowfall, you might catch me on a plane to anywhere with a more agreeable climate.
2. Spring cleaning
I know, cleaning — my usual response to that word is a resounding, “UGH, NO!” But, I will make a general exception when it comes to getting rid of clothes. Since the closets at Bice are approximately the size of shoeboxes, my multitude of sweaters are pouring out of every drawer available. And now that the weather has decided to be impossible to predict, we’ll have to add both my shorts and my parka to the mix. Rather than let my excessive clothing just add kindling to the fire that Bice is truly prepared for — two more fire drills, really? — I am planning on getting rid of a good portion of it. Though I do find it difficult to part with my sweaters, mathematically, the closet space in Bice just won’t allow for them. If you’re having the same problems, I would suggest getting rid of what you can Marie Kondo-style, and if you truly must keep everything, maybe we can all collectively rent more storage.
3. Rally your energy
I don’t know about the general way all of your classes have been going, but mine started out at a nice, hopeful high point, and then immediately dropped to a rather unfortunate place. It seems like there’s always one point in the semester where I actually believe I might fail all of my classes. Take a reassuring breath, because every other semester we’ve come out alive, and I see no reason why this semester should be any different. We’re all going to come back from spring break with significantly raised morale — based on what I’ve seen on Instagram, we’re all truly living our best lives — which should be able to sail us right through the rest of the semester. Hopefully, the rest of the semester is significantly better than what we left with.
4. Get ready to pop off on these classes
Speaking of doing significantly better than before, it feels like the rest of the semester might be a “hole up in the library and think about what I’ve done” kind of time. I truly don’t believe these classes are ready for us to come back from spring break, because we’re really going to go after it with the well-rested glow of a thousand suns.
5. Life plans
Ah yes, the mid-semester existential crisis, here you are again. Somewhere in the midst of eight midterms and multiple term papers, I truly begin to question my decisions in life — like, why am I doing this again? The end goal for post-graduation may shift in logistics because it’s nearly impossible to plan out exactly what you’ll be doing — but the general hope remains the same — to be happy, successful and hopefully employed. I don’t think we should sacrifice what we have right now for what we may have in the future, but just knowing there may be a better future does make the 2 a.m. grind a little bit more bearable.
6. Revise your dreams
In the same vein, if what you’re doing right now isn’t making you happy, it’s likely that whatever it’s preparing you for in the future will also not make you very happy. So, if that’s the case, don’t be afraid to adjust your vision for the future and your plans for the present. In my opinion, dealing with the mess now is preferable to dealing with the consequences later. And let’s not forget the multitude of possibilities that exist in the world — you could literally do anything, so make sure to pick something that excites you for the rest of your life.
7. Recover from life
Life hit me pretty hard these past few weeks, and from what I’ve heard, that seems to be a common theme among University students right now. So many new things have been happening, I feel like I really need some time to just sit down and let it soak into my brain and possibly whip out some color coding to help process the information. Now’s the time to really adjust before life comes after us again. This time, at least I’ll have my color-coded binder to fend it off.
8. Update your music library
If there’s one thing that gets me through all of the school craziness — besides my amazing friends — it’s definitely my music. If my music is popping off, then I’m popping off — that’s just a fact. Make sure your music is on your wavelength before diving back into life full-force.
9. Update your actual library
If you’re truly looking for life inspiration, books are where I always turn. One of my friends has decided to read all the queer literature he can get his hands on. Iconic feminist texts have been my poison of choice lately — you should absolutely read something by Carmen Maria Machado. Viva la revolución!
10. Live your life however you want
Honestly, you can make as many plans as you want, but sometimes life just happens to you. Not that I’m saying we should just let anything happen to us, but remember not to lose sight of where you are now for where you will be one day. Taking things one moment at a time and enjoying them may take you somewhere you never expected to go.
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