There are few things I enjoy more here than looking out of my window in the morning and seeing shadows. Why? The more distinct the shadows, the brighter the sunshine. It may be a twisted way of looking at things, but that is just how I am.
You might say I'm the opposite of Punxsutawney Phil. He sees his shadow and scrambles back into Gobbler's Knob for six more weeks of winter. I see shadows, and I think sun and warm weather.
With the relatively recent arrival of more appealing temperatures, it looks like it finally might be here to stay. Instead of clinging to the time-honored cliché, "you don't know what you've got ‘til it's gone," we cling to "You don't know what you lacked until it was here."
After five months of a ubiquitous, depressing layer of clouds that never leaves the sky and the biting cold that makes us all regret not attending colleges in warmer climates, we can finally ditch sweatpants, hoodies, North Face jackets and Uggz for khaki shorts, tank tops, flip flops and other obligatory collegiate attire.
Our thankfulness for mild weather because of our deprivation is a good metaphor for how we should approach most things in life.
There are always people that will rue their situation, wishing they had better grades, nicer clothes, richer parents or a better car.
What is more respectable is being thankful for the small things. Every day there are plenty of things for which we should be thankful. Even if it's something as simple as someone holding the door for us when we don't feel like digging into our pocket to get our ID, or North Dining Hall have an abundance of cups available at the various beverage stations.
Even the simple fact that we are college students is something to be thankful for. It means we were genetically endowed with a level of intelligence. On top of that, we aren't forced to enter the work force in an unskilled or semiskilled job. We get to live with a relatively low amount of responsibility for four years or more.
So as much as we love to complain about how busy we are, how much work we have to do and much stress is being piled on top of us by professors, employers, parents and peers, we could be spending that time being thankful for all that we have.
So for the remaining weeks, let us put aside worrying about the impending doom of finals and trying to find summer employment. Instead, let us take time and enjoy the small things: the warmer weather, the rapid approach of a three-month break and the fact that most of us will be back enjoying the wonder that is college life next year.
