Kenyon Resolutions: A New Year's check list for my final semester
Tuesday marked the start of 2013, a year that's been looming in my mind since I was a old enough to do the math—the year I stop being a Student (for now) and start being an Adult (we’ll see). In the spirit of the New Year—and excessive nostalgia brought on by self-stalking my freshman year photos—I’ve decided to make a Kenyon Resolutions list in order to make the most of my final semester...
1. Take a picture every day
Kenyon really is beautiful, and I’ve decided the best way to appreciate it is to take one picture of some part of Kenyon every day. If you don’t believe me or have forgotten this, listen to Forbes. While I’m definitely guilty of complaining about Kenyon’s debatable rural charms, (see: an ice-covered middle path at 8:08 in the morning) it’s still a gorgeous Gothic revival mini-Hogwarts that happens to look a lot like a movie. And I’m only living here for one more semester! Time to stop complaining about the distance to the nearest H&M and start appreciating the splendor of seeing a red-tailed hawk outside my dorm room. Granted, the one time that happened the hawk was viciously devouring a squirrel, but like, the majesty of nature and all that.
(Middle Path--more difficult to appreciate when it turns into a mile-long ice skating rink)
2. Rekindle my freshman year nerdiness (via office hours)
Freshman year I was all about office hours. I would go constantly—to confirm the details of an assignment, discuss my paper writing process, and above all, indulge my collective intellectual crush on all of my professors (a love unbounded by age, gender, or sexual orientation). Some time during my sophomore year, I stopped going as often, partly because I was much busier and partly because I was more confident in my ability to write college-level papers. But in the process I lost out on some of the informal learning and mentorship-building that defines the Kenyon experience. And I really regret that. My new resolution is to return to my freshman year office hours enthusiasm, because (and I'm pretty sure I'm quoting Liberal Arts right now) when else am I gonna be able to do this?
(Spotted on my sophomore year English professor's office door)
3. Commit to one new activity
I know what you’re thinking—the last semester of my senior year is a bit late in the game to, say, join a new club or discover a latent talent for archery. But actually, isn’t it the best time to try something new? Think about it: I’m out of here come May. No matter how bad I am at making a pinch pot or playing tennis, the self-imposed stigma of being “bad” is infinitely outweighed by the fact that I only have a few months left before all of this free time for self discovery (and procrastination) is a distant memory.
4. Cove o’ clock
I’m 22, and this is the last time in my life I can comfortably assume that a) I will know almost every one in the only bar in town, and b) no one will judge me for ordering a shot based on a children’s breakfast cereal. So yeah, I’m making more frequent Cove trips a resolution.
(The Cove)
Like all to-do lists, I’m guessing only 25% of these goals will be accomplished (probably the Cove one). Good luck with your own resolutions and happy New Year friends! Xoxo, S.