In one mindset, fall break was the perfect time to do everything: see your friends, eat your favorite foods, go to your favorite restaurants, go shopping, catch up on work (or get ahead on work), paint your nails, get a haircut, shower without flip-flops, ask your parents for some extra cash… the list goes on. However, fall break was also the perfect time to do nothing. Because as a Bucknell student, when do you ever have time to do absolutely nothing? Never. You’re constantly on the move, heading from one class to another, going to the gym, meeting for a group project in ACWS (this walk can take up half of your day as it is), grabbing lunch, and rarely ever taking a moment for yourself (besides the five minutes, which actually turns into ten, you spend on Instagram because you thought you deserved a break from the three sentences you’ve written in your essay).
Procrastination, however, should not be your only break from work. Yeah, Facebook and Twitter definitely help to keep you sane when you’ve been cooped up in a cubicle on the second floor of the library all day, but in no means should social media be your only form of sanity. In fact, coming back to campus after break, I urge you to put down your phone. Look up from your screen. Connect with humanity.
Over break, a glowing cellphone screen didn’t interrupt family dinners. You exchanged stories, listening to your parents’ crazy stories from frat parties and their latest drama. Only kidding – you listened to their rhythmic routines, consisting of work, chores, and amazing home-cooked food. Then it was your turn to share your adventurous week spent at Bertrand, the few hours of sleep you got each night, and the midterms that are (thankfully) behind you. You learn that after a week of midterms, your parents had more of a social life than you did. Conversations flowed because no one stopped to check their phones. You were a part of the dialogue, not just an empty body sitting at the table texting other friends.
So, let’s put down our phones. Our touch screens ironically make us loose touch. Let’s attack the rest of the semester with newer perspectives. As we step away from the problems and stress of college, you’ll often find truer answers.
When it was 2am and you were still in the library studying for a midterm, it felt like the end of the world. You were stressed, confused, and all you wanted to do was sleep. But coming back to Bucknell after fall break, realize it was only one assessment. Your grade and your GPA are just numbers; they don’t define you. Detaching yourself from a familiar environment ultimately challenges your current attitude and pushes you to reevaluate your life. Essentially, vacations (or a mere four days away from class) can help reset your mind.
So, go forth with new perspectives. Worry less about numbers. Your grades and the number of likes on your Instagram – they don’t matter. Clear your mind and engage. Free yourself from the digital insanity.