With last week’s list being all about things I hate, I thought I could perk it up a little this time around. Enough venting, girls. At the risk of sounding like an overenthusiastic cheerleader, turn that frown upside down because it’s time to be happy! I’ve compiled a list of all things sweet and nice, with the help of a good pal, who also happens to be one of the most positive people I know. So read on for even more reasons to keep smiling:
1. Caring Professors
Professors are not only ridiculously busy intellectuals lost in the swirling vortex of academia, but a lot of them also have real lives with real families and real mortgages. I don’t fault them for being frustrated with their daily duty of forcing knowledge onto unwilling, hungover college students. Which is why it’s all the more exciting when they ask me how my weekend was, or even – holy cow – remember my name! Call me a nerd (and you should… because I am), but it always makes me feel good to know that a professor takes a genuine interest in my life outside of their classroom-turned-torture-chamber. Unless, of course, they are only interested in finding out why I wasn’t in class on Friday… (see Number 4)
2. Marvin’s
It’s heaven to your taste buds and hell to your arteries. Marvin’s food may have zero nutritional value, but I often overlook this minor detail because their mac bites are like little nuggets of chewable happiness. Mac bites, pizza, burgers, burritos, et cetera… The giant menu is proof that grease equals love. But it’s not just the taste of Marvin’s that gets you. It’s the sights, the sounds, and the smells, too. A true sensory overload: the sight of frat boys inhaling their pizza, the sound of the deep-fryer greasing up the next order of cheese fries, and the smell of that garlic cheeseburger telling you it’s going to be a good night… and most likely a really rough morning, according to the girl in the neighboring bathroom stall.
3. Best friends
Without them, who would be there to laugh at your Saturday night shenanigans or cry with you when you fall and break your favorite pair of stilettos? Sure, they may be a little annoying at times, especially when they hold you accountable for your actions (how dare they). But, as your best friend, that’s their job. Of course, there are a lot of other unpleasant realities that go along with being a best friend… it’s also their job to tweeze your eyebrows and tell you that those stilettos you broke weren’t that cute anyway.
4. $3 drinks at the Duck
You groggily wake up Saturday morning, chug a bottle of water, and reluctantly check your bank statement, expecting the worst. But – yay! – you are pleasantly surprised to realize the fun you had didn’t cost you a fortune (only your dignity). And although he may have bought you drinks all night, Cutie McFrattypants will appreciate that, even though you may have turned him down and broken his spirit, his wallet didn’t suffer the same fate.
5. Her Campus
Because it’s fun. And awesome. And all things girl. What could be better?
6. Good music
I’m not just talking about the Billboard hits, ladies. I’m talking about those songs you belt out while you’re in the “lather, rinse, repeat” stage of your shower routine, much to the annoyance of all your roommates. Think Journey, Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Justin Bieber… those songs with the impossible high notes that you somehow hit right on key every time – or so you’d like to think. In reality you actually sound like a bellowing walrus giving birth, but you probably don’t need to know that.
7. Laughing
Like I always say, laughter is the best medicine. In fact, sometimes laughing at your friends is even more satisfying than laughing with them. So, go ahead and laugh it up. Don’t be embarrassed if your laugh, like your singing, sounds like a birthing walrus. And don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself, especially if you do something ridiculous and super embarrassing… like faceplant on the stairs of Asbury. Let’s face it, your friends were probably already laughing at you anyway.
8. Classic movies
Okay, I’ll admit it: I was born into the wrong generation. I wish it was socially acceptable to wear evening gloves. I wish men actually courted women. And I wish the concept of dancing meant violins and swirling skirts, not the rap-n-grind fest it is now. Luckily, there are tons of classic movies available to allow me to escape the weekend monotony of the frat life. Thanks to Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Cary Grant, I can escape into the world of old-time Hollywood glamour for a few hours… and still come back to check my Facebook, send an email from my Blackberry, and appreciate all the other joys that come with modern amenities and the women’s rights movement.
9. Brian W. Casey
One word: Dreamy. Okay, two words: Stud. Muffin. No, but seriously, what a guy. He’s in-touch with the DePauw atmosphere, but also open to new ways to improve the little school we love so much. And he even pretends to know who I am when I see him around campus… but that’s probably because he isn’t sure what else to do when I run up to him and enthusiastically hug him like we’re best friends, but that’s just because we are, right? RIGHT?!
10. College
Yes, that’s right, college makes me happy. I love everything about it – the campus, the food, the people, even the classes. Everyone has their bad days and their pet peeves, but in the end, you have to choose to look past it all and be grateful for the experience. So live it up, ladies, and always remember that the real secret to being happy is understanding it’s a choice.
Photos by Sommer Braun