The phrase, “no school,” is one of the most appreciated in the English language. It means waking up by 8 a.m., eating a hearty breakfast, catching up and getting ahead on schoolwork, reading a text book for fun, and maybe even washing that big stack of dishes on the table. At least, this is what we think professors think it means.
Since Labor Day was so cruelly taken from us, the school decided to give us a day off in the middle of October instead. They intended for it to be a day for students to write papers and study for upcoming midterm exams.
Mediocre students look forward to tricking professors and using this day for relaxation and fun, instead. Good students mark this day in their calendars, avidly preparing for such a joyous day, as their very happiness comes from schoolwork completion and precision. Yet even these students fell prey to the disease of the mediocre this year.
On Oct. 9, Study Day came, and, as usual, passed without much of anything getting done. Movie rooms were full from eight to midnight, blankets were cocooned around slumbering and Netflix-watching souls, hiking boots were given wear on the trails, flight miles were used on plane tickets, money was spent at malls, laughs were abundant in groups of friends, and many memories were made.
While professors wish for us to use this day to do work for their classes, they will appreciate us taking time to work on our spirits, as well. They recognize that it is important to catch up on sleep, to de-stress and do something fun with friends, and to take time to stop and evaluate life.
We can remind ourselves that rest is very important, even if we are being active. Rest isn’t necessarily sleeping or staying still, but it is stopping what you usually do and taking a break. It is starting something new and dwelling in that for just a little while before going back. Going on adventures with friends is still restful, as it gives our brains a respite from academic thinking and allows us to change perspective for a little bit.
The day was an overall success. Good students were disappointed in themselves and their academic failures, but ultimately realized that one day off didn’t hurt anything. Rather, it helped them gain perspective about the art of resting and the beauty of change.