Confession time: I’m still learning when I need to let myself lean on those who love me most.
“No man is an island” (John Donne) are words that I remind you of today in hope that you will have a renewed sense of gratitude for the support system in your life.
Though I wholeheartedly believe in the power of individuality and self-determination, I am time and time again reminded of just how fragile the illusion of my island of self-sufficiency stands.
I think when we get to college we assume that we’ll always have the energy to handle everything in tip-top shape, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I mean, after all, we’re pursuing our dreams. We’re investing in our futures. And we’re going to take the world by storm some day — or, at the very least, have the time of our lives attempting to get there. This is supposed to be the time in our lives when we’re at our absolute best, essentially invincible.
Consequently, with our busy schedules and collegiate highs, I think we can unintentionally take for granted the people in our lives who support us most and ultimately play a part in who we’re becoming.
In addition to the friends, peers and professors you see daily, I encourage you to remember the ones who have been in your life for the long haul: the ones who have seen you at your worst, witnessed your middle-school “woes” and remember the days when you were eagerly waiting to hear back from all the universities you applied for; the ones who now wait just as eagerly alongside you to hear back from the internship and job opportunities you’re currently applying for.
For me, it’s on the days when I’ve juggled countless responsibilities and I just want to climb into bed and hold the covers over my head that roommates, family and friends help bring me back to the sanity I once knew. From the late-night rant sessions to my roommates, to the occasional emotional phone calls to my mom and the lengthy letters I write to my best friend back home — yes, handwritten letters, a dying art of which I passionately plead we all make a personal pledge to revive — I know who’s on my team at the end of the day.
And you should, too. Even if you don’t have sweet-hearted roommates who will unexpectedly place a cup of hot tea on your desk when you’re stressed and looking the other way, recognizing the people who support you on both a daily and lifelong basis can give you the assurance you need to know that you’re doing something right, even when it might feel like everything’s going wrong.
Ultimately, I think the paradoxical key to being truly self-sufficient is in knowing that you, completely on your own, are not self-sufficient. You’re not an island of self-sufficiency where dreams come true. In place of the palm trees, you possess a pulse that proves your humanity and the need for those around you.
April Jaynes is a senior studying journalism and anthropology. Who do you depend on to get you through the stressful moments in college? Email April at aj188310@ohiou.edu.
