It sometimes feels like life is a never-ending cycle of obligations. We’re so caught up in scheduling our lives around classes, homework, jobs, workouts, friends, family and time to just relax that it’s easy to get caught up in it all. And I’m the first person to admit that it just never feels like there is enough time. We’re forced to choose between friends and homework, workouts and studying and even between classes and being outside.
Just a few days ago, I was confined to the library for 12+ hours a day while our campus finally sparkled with sunshine and 75-degree weather. Finals week is a mixed bag – some people finish papers by the very first day, others are slammed with three exams in 48 hours – but it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Because, even though I’m cramming random facts into my brain all day (and let’s be real, it’s been two days and I’ve already forgotten everything), this final week of spring helps me remember that there’s a lot that I take for granted. This week I’m thankful for the little things.
Here’s a short list of 20 things I truly appreciate.
1. Sunshine.
2. Eating a meal outside.
3. Being awake for sunrise.
4. Rooftop sunsets.
5. Coming home to a house full of friends.
6. Iced coffee.
7. Seasoned cubes from Proctor.
8. Half-off food on Wednesday nights at The Lobby.
9. Dunmore days.
10. Driving with the windows down.
11. Running through Vermont fields.
12. Genuine conversations.
13. SLEEP.
14. Late night mac and cheese (this will make its way into every article, I promise).
15. Oversized sweatshirts.
16. Hugs from friends.
17. Someone trusting you enough to confide in you.
18. Netflix.
19. Dancing.
20. Friends that are family.
As I started to pack up my room today and put a cap on my junior year, I realized that the little moments matter so much more to me than any obligation I try to squeeze into my schedule. The unexpected conversations are probably what I treasure the most. I’m lucky to call Middlebury my home, but I’m even luckier to know a group of people who make it so hard to say goodbye each spring. Slow down every now and then and just enjoy time for what it is – we all know that four years fly by much too quickly.
