Yesterday was a beautiful day. It’s the middle of October and it was 70-80 degrees outside and sunny. If I were still in school, I’d have taken a “personal day” for sure; as long as I didn’t have any important tests or presentations or anything, of course.

I have fond memories of relaxing outside on a beautiful day, surrounded by the lovely Assumption campus.

Now, I’m not advocating skipping classes just for the heck of it. Nobody should make a habit of missing any of their classes, but some students can get so wrapped up in the stress of college life that they don’t have any time to relax and live in the moment. Even worse, maybe they forget how.

Sometimes we just have to sit back and “smell the roses,” as they say. We should always be trying to get the most out of life, and this is vitally true during our college years.

The article I just linked to mentions 6 ways that you can try to get the most out of your own life. For example, if I could give one piece of advice to every college student out there, it would be, Don’t dwell on the future:

Trying not to live for the future is just as hard, especially when everything around us is all about looking ahead: to-do lists, leather planners, savings accounts, retirement accounts, vacation days and one-year leases. But try to take the phrase hakuna matata to heart—no worries.

Worrying does nothing but stress you out, give you ulcers and make you old. So sit back, relax, and try not to obsess about the directions your life is taking.

Be practical, of course. Don’t ignore the future to the point where you don’t know if you’re going to be able to buy groceries this week or cover the rent next month. But also don’t spend your nights charting out the next 40 years of your life: “Get married by the time I’m 25. Own a house when I’m 27. Have kids by the time I’m 30.”

The truth is, you never really know how things are going to turn out or even what’s going to happen to you tomorrow. So instead of trying to control a life you haven’t even lived yet, why not go outside and throw the football, take in the colors of the twilight sky, or start to enjoy the intricacies of the scent of your glass of wine.

This is especially true for many college students. Students spend so much time worrying about grades, about internships, about graduating and getting a job, that they forget about living in the moment, and that can invariably be detrimental to getting the most out of life.

Trust me when I say that it’s OK to sit back and relax once in a while. I did, and I still graduated cum laude and landed a great job.

So, now that you’ve realized that you should not spend all of your time worrying about your next test or class, what should you do with all of your newfound freedom?

In the words of Marcel Proust: N’allez pas trop vite. Don’t go too fast.

If you take some time (a day, or if you’re really adamant about not missing any work, a couple of hours in between or after classes, or even during the 10 minute walk from your dorm to your classroom; just be sure not to run) to slow down and really take a look at your surroundings, you will realize how beautiful the Assumption campus really is.

The article I linked to gives you 5 pieces of advice on how to slow down and really get the most out of your campus. These two can really apply to Assumption:

Journey into the unknown. Look into an unfamiliar part of the campus, an unfamiliar building, an unfamiliar part of the library. Academic buildings, especially older ones, are filled with nooks and crannies. You might find a great, unexpected place to study by exploring an unfamiliar part of your campus.

The Assumption campus isn’t huge, but it has its fair share of “nooks and crannies.”

When I was a freshman, I barely knew about anything past Hagan. I had no idea what any of the upper classmen dorms were called or even really looked like; I wasn’t aware that we had any tennis courts; I didn’t know that the president lived in a mansion right outside campus (well, this will now be the new Admissions building, but it’s still there and it’s still beautiful).

Go walk around, explore areas you’ve never been before. You won’t get lost, and you might end up finding a new favorite study/relaxation spot.

Give some attention to the monuments and portraits that most students (and faculty) walk past. Commemorative plaques, presidential portraits, class gifts (sometimes in the form of a fountain or gate), memorials to alumni in military service: all these can help you to recognize that as a college student, you’re a member of a community that spans generations of endeavor.

This part stood out for me in light of Mike’s recent post on Campus Photos, especially because he posted the picture of this memorial:

How many of you know what that memorial stands for? How many of you even knew it was there? It’s easy to miss if you’re rushing down the path in a hurry to get to the IT Center to work on a project.

You’d be surprised how many wonderful little spots like this there are around campus.

This post turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would, but that’s OK. I hope you were able to get something from it, even if you decide not to skip any classes (and really, that should be saved for when you’re a senior and it’s Spring anyway), because that’s the most important thing. So, what did we learn?

• Don’t dwell on the future (or the past, for that matter).
• Don’t stress about what you can’t control.
• Don’t go too fast.
• Explore and learn about your beautiful campus.
• Take some time for yourself every now and then.

If there’s anything that you’d like to share with the Assumption community, whether it’s how you set aside time for yourself, or your favorite place on campus, feel free to talk about it in the comments!

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