Walking to class during the winter is miserable. Especially when it’s 10 degrees outside not including the wind chill. Drafting behind the person walking in front of you is the only way to survive. Well, that, and cutting through every building along the way despite the fact that it adds an extra five minutes to your travel time. However, there are different stages of “The Walk.” So below, I’ve chronicled the entire journey from dorm to desk, with the help of some of my favorite HBO friends from Game of Thrones.
The journey of a thousand miles might begin with a single step, but the journey across the frozen tundra (aka campus) begins with a mental preparation of what’s out there. Many don’t make it past this point and instead elect to email their professor some pathetic excuse as to why they’re not coming into class.
When you first step outside, the cold knocks the air right out of your lungs and stabs at your face like a thousand tiny needles. But it’s too late to turn back, so you make a face, pull up your hood and pray that the wind dies down soon.
For those of us who live on a linear campus (lookin’ at you, Carthage), we’re lucky enough to be able to cut through multiple buildings. Although the covered halls can provide a temporary escape from the bitter reality that is winter, they can’t protect us for long. We know what’s on the other side.
Unfortunately, however, there comes a time on this journey when we reach the last building. There’s always going to be a gap between your last safe house and your final destination. So, take a deep breath, resign yourself to the fact that you may lose a friend on the way, and run.
At different points along the journey, many people will stop running and just accept the cold. Winter is here. Embrace it. There’s nothing you can do to stop the wind so just think happy thoughts and shuffle quickly.
Seeing those last final steps before the door is like seeing a rainbow after years of rain. Despite how miserable you are, you can’t help but smile to yourself as you think “I’m almost there.” There are even days when you’re lucky enough to have a person 10 feet in front of you who’s going in through the same door. This is when you yell “HOLD THE DOOR” and do that awkward little walking jog to get inside. In winter, there’s no such thing as that awkward distance between you and an open door.
And finally, after what seemed like a thousand years, you’ve made it! Congratulations! Now is the time to unwind, take some notes and pay attention to your professor. Regardless of the class you’re taking or how long the class lasts, one thing is for certain—you’ll eventually have to walk back.
Rep image courtesy of Eberhard Grossgasteiger