The Jaded Senior Reformed

Lately the posts here at the Right Wing have been light-hearted. But now we must discuss something serious. Robert called it the perfect storm, the precise moment when three jaded seniors simultaneously snapped and spat fire and brimstone on each other while people fled in terror.

Grubbs has his excuse: he hasn't slept enough, he's single, and he stressed. The same excuse applies to Robert and to me. We're all tired. Not one of us has had the proper amount of sleep since midterms. I just learned that, instead of graduating in May, I'm stuck there until at least December 2007.

But you know what, guys? What do we really have to stress over? Tests? At least our tests are written exams.

For some reason, the thought came to me today: we're not parents at St. Jude watching a newborn struggle for life. We're not a child whose parent is on their deathbed. We're not homeless and fear-stricken because of this cold weather that's coming. We're not soldiers putting our lives on the line for peple we've likely never met, nor never will meet. We're not waiting on the doctor to call us with results that could mean life or death.

We're students. That's all. We're all striving for the same goal. Sure, this semester has been rough.

I'm going to attempt to describe this in a whimsical manner. If you're ever watched the TV show Futurama, you may be familiar with an episode in which everyone on earth is given a $300 tax rebate to spend however they want. Fry, the main character, decides to purchase 100 cups of coffee. By the end of the episode, Fry has inhaled 99 cups and is jittery and spastic. The room he is in catches on fire. Fry single-mindedly grabs his hundreth cup of coffee. At that precise moment the world slows down. Fry watch a hummingbird flap its wings. He saves everyone from the fire and the show ends happily. That's what happened to me driving home tonight. I had a moment where the stress was nearly pushing me over the edge. I began frantically tuning through radio stations. Then I hit 104.7. They've been playing Christmas music. My moment of zen occurred then. EVerything seemed to stop and I was able to catch my breath. Am I still kinda stressed? You bet, but it doesn't bother me so much now.

I personally have never been through a semester like this. I'm only a few inches from going over the edge, but I'm still standing, and now I'm on firmer footing. I'm going to walk away from this semester. I'm not going to let things take me down.

I'm not going to watch one teacher destroy my semester because she doesn't understand the basic premise of collegiate students having their own ideas. This semester will not beat me.

Therefore, I am now a jaded senior reformed. I know what to expect, and I'm going to meet it head-on.

So, in the spirit of political incorrectness: Merry Christmas, and God Bless.