I typically try to refrain from writing editorials in first person, but this week I was reminded of some sage advice I received earlier this year and it seemed most appropriate to impart it personally. More on that in a second.
If you’re like me, mid-sem is one of at least two (let’s be real: it’s probably more than two) times during the semester when you look around at your metaphorical piles of homework, social commitments, and responsibilities, try to remember the last time you slept, and you wonder, “why do I do this to myself?” Why do we try to balance school with eight hundred other activities that seemed like a good idea during Orientation Week but now cripple our ability to function without stress? Perhaps it’s because there’s simply so much that interests you, or perhaps it’s because you can’t stand to do something less than the best of your ability. Maybe you just like to live your life at a fast pace.
I have termed this condition “Cobber Syndrome.” Sometimes we’re so eager to responsibly engage the world that we irresponsibly over-engage ourselves. I’m guilty, and I’m also guilty of pushing all y’all in my weekly editorials to do it even more. Sorry.
So back to that sage advice I was talking about: At the beginning of the semester, I was talking with Pastor Tim Megorden. He asked how I was and I said, “Busy—but I’d rather be busy than not doing anything.”
“Don’t forget,” he said, “there’s something in between too, you know.”
Oh yeah. This in-between state is something I like to call “pleasantly involved but not over-committed.” And even if it’s all but impossible for you or me to achieve this state on a lasting basis, we can at least enjoy it once in a while. Like right now.
Guys, it’s mid-semester break. If you get the chance, please take some time to chill. In all likelihood, it will make you and anything for which you are responsible healthier and happier.
Peace,
Mary Beenken, Editor-in-Chief
I am a senior English writing major and political science minor at Concordia College, but I originally hail from Fort Collins, Colorado. I have a deep passion for humanitarian aid and the power of the written word. I am currently the Editor-in-Chief of the 2011-2012 Concordian, though on occasion I also write and take pictures.
Dream job: hybrid freelance journalist/human rights lawyer.
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