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In which I try not to be a Negative Nelly

by Katelyn Kiley, MEd Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2016

On the whole, I do not enjoy the month of March. The weather is absurdly unpredictable—snow and 80-degree sunshine in the span of a single month! If you don’t check the weather before getting dressed you could end up clothed for an entirely opposite season. You lose an hour of sleep halfway through the month and it takes at least a week for your sleep schedule to recover. And, on top of that, midterms midterms midterms demand you drag your exhausted butt out of bed and use every waking moment toward some productive means OR ELSE. (Am I complaining? I seem to be complaining a lot lately.) 

AND SO, in an effort to cultivate greater positivity (and less whining) what follows is a list of things I LIKE, the good things, about what I am thinking this year is probably (definitely) my least favorite month:

  1. The nice weather days are perfect for long walks around the neighborhood or games of kickball at the park.
  2. The extra daylight in the evening means more time for said walks or kickball games.
  3. Netflix released a new season of Love and is about to release a new season of Grace & Frankie—so there’s something to watch on the cold-snap days when you don’t want to leave the house.
  4. Busy and stressful times make you cherish the support of your friends and loved ones, and the times you carve out to spend with them. For example, last night, my boyfriend made dinner while I went for a run and worked on homework, and it felt like the loveliest gift. Or: I have never so much looked forward to book club as I am to tonight’s meeting with my friends, even if I have to leave early so I can finish a project that’s due tomorrow.
  5. Times of difficulty are opportunities for growth.
  6. Pretty soon, asparagus will be in season. I sure do love asparagus—I like to toss it in olive oil with a few grinds of salt and pepper, and roast it at 400 degrees. It is the simplest, easiest, most perfect side dish, and worth celebrating.
  7. When you are very busy you learn a whole, whole lot.
  8. There is this great sense of community at the SOE, and it feels to me like this Marchtime stress is helping us to develop it further. Everywhere this sense that We Are All In This Together. There's no other community I'd rather be in the thick of it with than this one.