As I sit here with a 104-degree fever and barely enough energy to take a sip of Vitamin Water, (seriously though, does this thing actually have any vitamins in it?) let alone get any real work done, all the thoughts of the typical dramatic college student begin rushing through my head:
This is the worst.
Why aren’t my friends making me soup?
I want my mommy.
Do I really have to wait four more hours before I pop my next pill?
What if I’m not better by tomorrow?
I have an essay due…and a speech on Wednesday.
UGH, MY LIFE SUCKS.
And then it hits me. What the h*ll am I complaining for? I have a fever. I’m not getting kicked out of school. I’m not poor. I’m not homeless. I’m not dying.
Being on your own and having to deal with your own problems when you come to school makes feeling sorry for yourself an incredibly easy reaction and one that all of us tend to have whenever conflict crosses our path. Whether it’s staying up until four in the morning to finish a paper, losing the key to your apartment, having a run-in with the cops, or being sicker than sick we instantly feel the need to whine about our struggles and hope that others will take time out of their busy days to notice our “suffering.” I am guilty of this attitude, and I’d be willing to bet most of the people reading this are as well.
What led me to the realization that it was time to get the heck over myself was the thought of one little girl whose name is Emily “Emma” Whitehead. I have known about Emily since freshman year but had just been reminded of her incredible story at my THON organization’s meeting last night. Thank you, ATLAS. For those of you who don’t know, Emily is kind of a celebrity around here. This girl not only beat cancer, but she outsmarted it. As part of an experimental treatment using a process involving reengineered T cells, Emily experienced one of the most dramatic recoveries the doctors treating her had ever seen and was in remission just three weeks after receiving treatment. She is a miracle child and is celebrated across the Penn State community and nationwide.
What Emily and her loved ones went through was a real problem. One that affected every minute of their day, every decision they made and every prayer they prayed. These are the kinds of things that real people out there are dealing with and just knowing that is enough to stop any complaint that crosses my lips today. The bottom line is that life goes on, and there is always someone out there that has it worse than you. Whining about trivial matters will not make them better, and complaining to others will not gain you any respect. Very few monsters you face in your day-to-day college life will matter 10 years down the road, and recognizing this is the first step to self-fulfillment. As for me, I’m going to finish the speech I have due, send my teacher the essay I probably won’t be able to turn in and know that I am an incredibly blessed and thankful individual.
And next time you all reach that point of self-pity, I challenge you to remember one thing: it’s a bad day, not a bad life. Get over yourself.