Category: Random Musings (page 1 of 30)

Lessons, thoughts, helpful tips and more

TBT: “Reflection Time” by Avery Beer

Today’s Tuesday post falls on the last day of class this semester. For many of us, this is the time of saying goodbye to professors and classmates and reflecting on the semester as a whole before we begin final exams. Please enjoy this Throwback post from Avery Beer about reflecting on our growth as students and people during our time at the University of Delaware.

In the midst of studying for finals and wrapping up the school year, it is natural that we ponder all that we have done and all that we have learned in the last few months: about ourselves, about the world around us, and everything in between. College is for just that: self-exploration, soul-searching, seeking out passions and taking full advantage of each opportunity that crosses our paths.

I came into college thinking I knew just about everything that I needed to know. Looking back, I was so naïve, so vulnerable, yet so eager that independence was now something I could own and do whatever I wanted with it. College is a weird thing because while we are so sheltered and so enclosed in our campus environment, we can truly do whatever we wish. I am so grateful that I proved to myself that there is so much to learn not only from a textbook, but through relationships and experiences that have entered my life. I realize now that college really is not just about what grade you earn on a paper or an exam. It’s about so much more. Of course your GPA matters, but I have to keep telling myself that as long as I am learning and as long as I am applying myself and coming out on the other side with something new, then I am fully taking advantage of what I have in front of me.

Sophomore year has been the year of taking things for what they are, for accepting what I cannot change, for embracing myself and all that I am, for exploration, for proving things to myself that I did not know to be possible, for realizing how much can change in a year, and for being so grateful for where I am at whatever moment, wherever that is.  

I truly feel like I know who I am this year. I have planted myself and have grown into my own being: I have solidified everything I know to be true about myself. I have matured—in my passions, in my relationships, and in my view of everything around me. Of course, there is always learning to be done, but that is what the rest of life is for.

I think it is important to realize that as we get older and life gets scarier, we cannot neglect all the good that comes out of it also. It is so easy to fall into the traps of absorbing the negativity of maturation, but there is so much to be said for all the good that comes out of it too. We should all strive to embrace the intricacy of everything, to take notice of each little thing around us, and acknowledge that all that we know is a work of art. There is so much negativity to scare us, but there is so much beauty if you let it get to you. If we didn’t have tragedies, if we didn’t have hardship, we would not be able to value the love and generosity that goes on each day. I had my moments of struggle freshman year of highschool, but I did not let it consume me to the point where I could not see past the clouds that were blocking the sunshine.

I am eternally grateful that I have found my home here in Delaware. I have found my home in the Honors Program, at the Writing Center, in Alpha Xi Delta. I have found my favorite study spots, my favorite sandwich from Perkins, my passions, and myself. And what is the beauty of it all? That there is so much more to discover.
Happy summer, Blue Hens!

TBT: “42°F” by Jenna Whiting

Thank you to everyone who participated in our guest writer series for National Poetry Month! To wrap our celebration up, here is a throwback from Jenna Whiting in November 2017 — a free verse on the time of year where we are wishing for cool respite from summer heat. Now, though, let’s hope things warm up again soon before the semester draws to a close…

42°F

Oh, how I am so glad to see you, merciful white numbers,

Old friends who haven’t greeted me in a year,

Floating in the stark cerulean sky of the Weather Channel app

That I scroll through, standing next to my dorm window.

Finally, after the summer’s sun overstayed its welcome,

After its warmth encroached onto the calendar squares of October for far too long,

After I thought the humidity would never cease sticking to the streets and to me,

The feeling of fall is finally in full force.

42°F

The first time that you appear from your summer hibernation

Is a special day.

I can finally snap open my dorm wardrobe door

And squish the well-worn yarn of my well-loved sweaters between my fingers as I search for the day’s attire.

I can pull on my marshmallow coat and maybe, if I’m lucky enough for the wind to warrant such a treat,

I can wrap a cat’s-ear-soft scarf under my chin and nuzzle into its cloth.

The first emergence into the autumn air from the front doors of Redding,

My sweater and coat and scarf putting forth a valiant effort in the name of warmth,

Is one to be cherished.

Oxygen, cold and crisp as a Granny Smith, enters my nose and invigorates my lungs and mind.

I breathe deeply and cherish the scent of multi-hued leaves

That have erupted throughout campus, making UD’s scenery even more beautiful than before.

I can almost taste them in all their crunchy red and brown and yellow glory.

More deep breaths with each step on the red brick paths

As my hands protest the sudden change of climate,

And I bury them into the pockets that are permanently bitten out of my marshmallow coat.

42°F

One of your best traits is your trademark holiday:

Thanksgiving and its accompanying break from school

And family time and pumpkin pie and background-noise football

And the scent of stuffing filling the kitchen and the sparkling cider that is retrieved from the basement shelves,

And curling up in blankets on the couch in front of a movie, tea or hot chocolate steaming beside me.

42°F

Thank you for instigating the lighting of candles that pervade my house with the spicy scent of cinnamon,

The fire prancing around the wax like the reindeer that will land on the roof in a month.

“But wait, watch this,” says the fireplace, competing with the candles

That can’t hold a candle to the warmth and size of the wood-fueled inferno,

And the central heating provides a familiar whir as comfy air is pushed through the vents.

42°F

I trumpet your magnificence to anyone I can.

“You’re crazy,” they all say. “I love warm weather,” they all say.

Don’t pay attention to them, 42.

You’re the best.

60°F

But wait.

How dare you, Delaware.

I love you, but you’re such a liar, as you always are when it comes to weather.

The warmth is back again,

Not as much as before,

But still here.

But I shan’t worry,

Because the cold will soon return

And settle in

Like a bear in a cave ready to sleep.

“Dear Deceased Poet” by Juliana Castillo

Join us this Tuesday in continuing our National Poetry Month celebration with a guest poem by Juliana Castillo, a Philosophy major of the class of 2025. Juliana uses imagery of membranes, liquid and light in this fictional “love letter” to a poet who was influential to the narrator.

Dear deceased poet, who lived to 

Twenty-five – I miss you, even though you died

Years before I was born; years before today, when 

I am already twenty-six. Dear deceased poet, I can 

Hear your voice, telling me that life is a membrane

To stretch around the vesicles of water, nutrients, and the other

Vacu-sealed ingredients that enable existence.

Continue reading

“The Blue Hen Guide to Getting Off Campus” by Nadya Ellerhorst

One fantastic – and somewhat ironic – aspect of our awesome campus is its proximity to other awesome places. With that said, it’s only natural that we Blue Hens may want to spread our wings and explore regional gems, from big cities to charming beaches.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of our campus. You’re bound to find this Blue Hen roosting in one of the many nooks and crannies of the university on any given day. But as an out-of-state, car-less student with insatiable Henergy for exploring, I personally place an especially high value on the prospect of trips elsewhere. I’ve also discovered that leaving campus for a bit can sometimes be a great way of unplugging from academics and recharging, even if it’s just a trip to the grocery store for candy with friends.

Here are some ways of exploring the surrounding area that I’ve utilized over the past few semesters. Safe and happy travels!

Continue reading

“lovebug” by Maura Conley

I feel a bug crawling all over me
maybe I got it during our picnic
it crawled on me right when you cracked that joke
and made me laugh so hard that nothing could ever worry me
it latched onto me and caught a ride home
now everywhere I go, I feel it crawling
under my clothes, all over my arms and legs
I can’t seem to shake it away
when I feel it crawl near my ankle, I try to shake it off
when I feel it crawl on my neck, I try to smack it
when I feel it crawl on my hand, I can never seem to see it
I’m always too slow for the bug
when we run through the grass together,
when you pull me close with your arms around my neck,
when you kiss me while holding my hand,
I feel like the bug is there once again
maybe the bug isn’t real
I’ve never even spotted it
but it must be real
why else would I feel you crawling all over me?

This is a poem about falling in love in the spring, where the nervousness and butterfly-feelings people feel when in love are symbolized as the feeling of a little bug crawling all over the speaker. This piece is composed by Honors freshman Maura Conley. In celebration of National Poetry Month, “186 South College” has been posting the work of Honors students weekly throughout the month of April and May as bonus content. If you or someone you know would like to share their work as a guest writer like Maura, we are still accepting submissions at this link.

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