With the crisp fall air outside, dropping temperatures, and sweet dreams of the Thanksgiving feast waiting just around the corner; November has officially begun and boy am I thankful. To honor my favorite festive season here is a list of the 12 things I have to thank for saving my sanity at college.
1. Cancelled classes
This one is a given, I mean come on, the only thing better than one cancelled class is two cancelled classes. You’re dreading that 8 o’clock alarm when you roll over and see an email reading CLASS CANCELLED FOR TODAY, look no farther, hit snooze on that alarm, and sleep to your heart’s content. I thought the feeling would wear off after the first few cancelled classes, but nope, it’s still a party every time.
2. Postponed tests/assignments
When you’re one assignment away from a mental breakdown and your teacher pushes back Monday’s test; for that one second you could swear heaven opened up and shined down on you. Everything suddenly seems so much more manageable now without that one extra thing to worry about. Now it’s a problem for another day.
3. Wing-day in the cafeteria
Nothing beats a plate full of boneless barbeque wings to make all of your stress melt away. Classes seem shorter, everyone seems friendlier, and the world seems like a better place on wing day. Although pretty much any day where the cafeteria serves something besides korean pork and potatoes is reason to give thanks, we can be especially thankful for this rare splurge.
4. Calming alarm tones
BEEP–BEEP–BEEP Five more minutes pleaseeeeee. How can it already be time to get up? We all know the sound of the iPhone alarm, it’s enough to send chills down my spine just thinking about it. The only thing that makes waking up in the morning slightly more tolerable is the choice between ocean waves and soothing rainforests. I mean how did college kids even live when alarms came with one sound.
5. Netflix
This is truly one of those thank the lord kind of inventions. Whoever invented this beautiful thing had us college kids in mind (if anyone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize it’s those guys). All of the movies and TV shows we could dream of right at our fingertips, it’s a trillion times worth the $7.99 a month. A sunny day, rainy day, cloudy day, snowy day; doesn’t matter the weather, it’s always a Netflix day. Although it’s the sole reason for my procrastination, new Jane the Virgin episodes simply cannot wait, it’s definitely a top contender on my list.
6. Restaurants that deliver
Say what you want about your favorite phone call, but we know when that Jimmy John’s delivery guy calls our heart skips a beat. When the cafeteria just doesn’t sound appetizing, there’s no microwave meal left that we haven’t already tried, and we just can’t imagine actually driving somewhere to eat, we can always turn to our favorite restaurants to come in clutch with the delivery. Pizza Hut, Jimmy John’s, Panera, Papa John’s, and all our favorites delivered right to the door for a small fee… now if only Chick-Fil-A could take a hint.
7. Emotional support animals
DOGS. We all do it, we see a dog, get super excited, hit all of our friends and whisper “it’s a dogggggg, over there, look.” Then we walk up to the owner, trying to contain our excitement, to ask if we can pretty please pet the dog. When they say yes we get down on the ground to give him a good pet and tell him just what a good boy he is. The few dogs on campus are basically celebrities, and if you’re really lucky they might even have a cute owner(;
8. Care packages from home
We all check our mailbox hoping and praying for a little something special to help us get through the week and there it is. A little cardboard box shoved back in the corner; maybe it’s fresh baked cookies, holiday decorations, or just a few of the essentials, so many possibilities. Even if it’s just a card filled with kind words, any piece of home is a blessing.
9. Best friends
College might have brought me a lot of stress and unwanted breakouts, but it did give me my best friends and for that I am so thankful. Why those losers chose me to be their friend, the world will never know, but I definitely would have failed-out or dropped-out by now without them by my side. Getting to live with them makes it all the sweeter.
10. Long holidays/breaks
A list of everything I’ve looked forward to in a year: Fall break, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, Spring break, and Summer break…yep that’s it. Give us all the holidays, Columbus Day, Presidents Day, some random guy in history’s birthday, any reason to take a day off is a good day. As soon as one break ends the countdown to the next begins. The only thing getting me through is the thought of sleeping in my own bed and a week away from my professors.
11. FaceTime
Because sometimes it’s just not possible to drive 8 hours to see your friends and family when you miss them most. Life is so much easier knowing they’re only one call away. A couple rings later and you get to see that big, goofy smile you miss so much. You might even forget you’re not actually there with them. It’s hard being away from home and although I’m pretty sure some people take advantage of this, I’m looking at you mom (she gets all my bad angles), I wouldn’t trade those talks for anything.
12. Internet
You’re telling me people actually used to go to college before Google existed… how did they do it? Any question that requires a little extra thought and you better believe I’m typing that sucker into the search bar. Let’s just say Quizlet is most definitely this girl’s best friend. Plus imagine a world where we had to hand-write those chemistry lab reports and english research papers–yeah I’d rather not.
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