The winter break that is standard for college students is quite an anomaly for me. I am terribly unfamiliar with this month-long vacation in which I have no obligations whatsoever. Every summer I have had steady babysitting jobs and before that I went to theater camp every day. Winter break in high school was not nearly this long and I often had some work to complete. But this year I have no work to set time aside for, seeing as all my classes are new next semester. I sat in my room trying to fill in my monthly calendar as the new year approached, pens and planner in hand. My brightly colored pens were barely put to use, however. Scheduled plans? Well, classes start on the 23rd. That’s about all I had to write. I could spend my whole break binge-watching Gilmore Girls and coloring in my anti-stress coloring books, but I couldn’t stand the thought of hiding away in my room for a month. With no real plans, I fell back on my bed and looked at the void that my life was quickly becoming… or rather, my ceiling.
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
Luckily for me I have some amazing high school friends who pulled me out of that void. Let me set the scene. My siblings were grumbling about going back to school and I was accepting my fate- I’d be a hermit for the next twenty or so days. I was curled up on my bed with my laptop, a bowl of Chex Mix, and some artsy doodles of Paris to color. It was in this moment that I got a text from one of my best friends from high school. She asked if I was free (naturally I responded with a resounding, “YES,” in seconds flat) and proceeded to drive to my house. The next thing I knew I was on an eight-hour long adventure to eat dinner in Connecticut. We spent the hours in her car catching up on all the college fun and mishaps, as well as singing along to the top 100 songs of 2007. I may have killed my vocal chords but I was reminded that I had a month of adventures to which I could look forward.
I became excited by all the possibilities this month holds. I invited friends to ring in 2017 at my house, complete with the live broadcasting from Times Square, Barnes and Noble Jenga, and ice cream-covered waffles. To me, this was the perfect way to begin the new year. I also braved the cold one afternoon at an outdoor skating rink with some of my closest friends. It was so great to spend time on the ice with them and even though my one BFF struggled, I was touched by her willingness to go out of her comfort zone for us. Most recently, I made plans to spend an upcoming weekend taking my little sister on a day trip to New Hope. I know she technically isn't a friend from high school, but with a five year age difference we didn't really become close until my high school days. Since I've been at college, I’ve missed spending time one-on-one with her and can’t wait for our day.
What I’ve come to realize is that winter break doesn’t need to mean putting life on pause. Just because I have no steady schedule doesn’t mean I can’t make plans with people that matter. That being said, I’ve also realized how much I treasure the relationships I cultivated in high school. When faced with what may seem daunting, my friends and family always show me that there’s adventures to be had, planned or not planned. So don’t succumb to a winter break slump! Get out your phone, call someone up, and spend your month making meaningful memories!
