Freshman year was when I decided to take the initiative to do absolutely nothing. Gone were those years of high school filled with nonstop sports and clubs, those constant appointments to be met. During my first year at college, I firmly decided that I was going to free myself from all of the hassles and commitments I had grown so accustomed to and simply revel in a lifestyle I would never have the opportunity to enjoy again.
This break from stressing factors and distractions also critically required me to severe all ties to home. Sure, I had no problem making the occasional call every week or so, which was about all I could handle, but apparently, according to my parents, this was unacceptable. But it was college, right? So, like any good daughter, I decided to ignore their unreasonable demands to contact them on a more regular basis. After all, calls mainly consisted of a seemingly benign comment about the weather back in Chicago before a full-out assault was launched concerning my grade status in each of my classes, why I wasn’t getting more involved in school activities and why I had decided not to come home for fall break after all. As fun as these conversations were, I desperately tried to avoid them, as they conflicted greatly with my otherwise relaxing, and carefree days.
Little did I know that my negligence would have a damaging long-term effect that came in the form of the beloved “parents to freshmen” section of Student Life. One night after coming back to the dorm from Ursa’s, I was surprised to find a tattered Student Life thrown onto my bed. Confused, and admittedly a bit disgusted, I turned to my roommate who offered a quick explanation: “Oh, one of your friends dropped that off for you a few minutes ago,” she said with a slight grin. Obviously, she had already read it, and now I was a bit alarmed at what story or picture that paper could possibly contain. I ran over to the bed and looked at the open page. In the treasured “parents to freshmen” section was a special message of my own: Among the many inspirational quotes provided by the other parents, the “words of advice,” the encouragements, the “I’m so proud of yous,” was an admonition by my parents to call home. Unbelievable. I was so mad at this breach of the home/school wall that I rebelled by refusing to call them for another two weeks. My friends, however, took a sinister pleasure out of my sufferings and never failed to occasionally bring back the lovely memories surrounding this event throughout the rest of the year.
Thankfully though, after “the incident,” my plan to live freshman year free of commitments and expectations went relatively unscathed. Admittedly, I almost relapsed second semester by going to a Habitat for Humanity meeting, but soon after, I immediately resorted back to my sluggish ways and can honestly say that I had an amazing year.
Caitlin Brady is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].