The Observer, April 25, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 26
A Fresh Perspective: Know difference between value of time
I have heard so often lately that time has simply flown this year. In conversation, it seems that people neglect to differentiate between the quantitative measure of time, and the events that make said time truly valuable. I believe that these are two entities that should be clearly delineated.
In looking back over the past few months of my life, minutes, hours, days haven't really seemed to impact my experience here at Case. In fact, the most meaningful time that I have spent here seems to consist of small, but ultimately valuable, episodes.
It is not the tests that we will remember in the upcoming years, nor is it the papers that we rushed to write 20 minutes before the deadline. It is the things and the people that we center our lives around that we will recall with the most vividness.
In my first column, I recalled the regret that I felt from not having a set calendar. Now I fully realize that the lack of a plan empowers me to seize the day completely and revel in the sheer beauty of life. The spontaneity that accompanies this freedom is what allows us to make the best of life.
I have gotten to know the most important people in my life under these circumstances. From painting the wall on an icy table to cheers below, to getting a standing ovation and knowing that those standing are the real reason for my successes, to walking into the house and getting dozens of smiles from amazing sisters and knowing that I am loved deeply by my friends – these are the small events that cement my life together. What are yours? They are more important than you realize.
College is four years of our lives, but it is more than four years, 48 months, 1440 days. College is laughter and smiles. College is knowing that you can depend on the girl down the hall to cheer you up. College is having a family to come back to when you leave your first.
You may tell me that time has flown, but I will simply shake my head and insist that we haven't even begun.
Mandy Martin is a first-year English major.
