This summer, a new friend and I went on a long hike — just the two of us. We didn’t know each other that well, and I was nervous we’d have nothing to talk about during the 10-mile ordeal. I spent a lot of time during the summer reacquainting myself with some people I’d known peripherally in the past, either through friends of friends, freshman year pre-games or other less savory scenarios. These re-connections afforded me the opportunity for some much needed self-reflection, which can be sorely lacking during our hectic 10-week terms. It is easy to get caught up in the insanity and rush of fall term at Dartmouth, or in reality, any term at our college on the hill.
During the hike, my friend and I agreed on this and many other aspects of our Dartmouth careers. We discussed how it is hard to believe that three years have passed, and we’ve spent too little time thinking about our actions, mistakes, successes and failures. We reflected on how much time and effort we’d spent worrying about things that in the long run barely mattered. We discovered that we were, in fact, similarly minded about many topics relating to Dartmouth. Some would call it jaded. I would just call it critical.
The topic of anniversaries — our centerfold this week — got me thinking about the importance of getting a little perspective, which is hard to do while burrowed in the stacks or, in my case, lurking in my off-campus apartment. There are so many people I could have met, clubs I could have joined, apples I could have picked. It’s a good thing I still have a little bit of that precious time left.
