Last night after my class got out at 8:30 I took the long way home. Usually after this class I quickly walk home in attempt to avoid the cold (a rather recent development) or just out of utter longing for my bed and comfy clothes. Last night was different. Last night I walked out of Stokes on the Mac side and proceeded to make my way past CoRo, down Linden Lane, and finally back to 90. It was definitely not the quickest way home but it was the best walk home I have had thus far.
As I slowly walked through campus I took time to look at the buildings, lights, and people that all make up a part of Boston College. I stared nostalgically at the dorms that make up CoRo, remembering moments that took place there that I would never forget. I lingered in front of Gasson, not to take a token Instagram picture but rather to appreciate its beauty without any filter distortion. I played a song on repeat for half of this walk, allowing the noise of the city and this campus to become my music for the second half. I paused for a moment outside of Bapst thinking of how I had never once been inside this historic Hogwarts-esque building, making a mental note to place that on my BC bucket list. I took small, slow steps in effort to prolong arriving at my destination; I wanted to take in BC at night.
I’m going abroad next semester and pretty soon (less than a month actually) I will no longer be surrounded by the comfort of my home, by the familiar feeling I get when walking around this campus. I took this walk to trace my time here at BC. I did it to remember why I love it here and to make mental images of the campus at my favorite time, at night in the winter.
The song that framed part of my long walk home left me thinking about this quote: “Take this sinking boat and point it home. We’ve still got time.” Whether you are a senior struggling with how to approach life after BC or a freshman feeling as if you haven’t made that connection yet, I encourage you to take the long way home. You may feel like you’re sinking but there is still time to allow BC to become your home, to allow this community to give you a place where you feel like you belong, and a sense of direction. Take in the beauty of BC, not only the buildings but the people as well. Allow yourself to get lost here because that’s when you will find yourself.