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My Walden Weekend

"Sucking the marrow out of life." - Henry David Thoreau

Adina Hernandez

Sep 19, 2016

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Mykala Prado

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

In 1845 Henry David Thoreau went into the woods of Concord Massachusetts where he lived in isolation and solitude for over two years. During this time in the woods, Thoreau grew in understanding what it meant to truly live life and enjoy the moment.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately..”

This quote has changed my perspective. While I’m well aware that Thoreau was a transcendentalist this is how I aspire to live, Deliberately. What does living deliberately mean? It means coming out of your comfort zone. Throwing yourself in a cave and facing your fears head on. Living deliberately is trying things you’d never tried before; interacting with people you wouldn’t usually hang out with. This life gets so busy and being constantly bombarded with things and never feeling rested or never having enough time in the day is draining.

“I wanted to live deep and suck our all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all the was not life-“ Thoreau got it, he understood what it meant to pause and soak in life.

“Things do not change; we change” The house is the same house, the shoes are the same size, and the song is the same melody but we move, we grow, and we learn to sing a new song. Taking time to pause and enjoy the stage of life that you’re in right now is something we all could learn to do.

Walden Weekend gave students an amazing opportunity to step back from our busy sometimes hectic and stressful lives to completely submerge ourselves in nature and acquire new inspiration for living and writing.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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My Walden Weekend

"Sucking the marrow out of life." - Henry David Thoreau

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Or at least try to do.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

2. I will look decent for class.

3. I will go to the gym more.

4. I will go to the library and study more.

5. I will meet new people.

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

2. Disappointed you let it get this bad

3. Distracted: When a 10-Minute Break Becomes an Hour

4. When the Yearning for Sleep Sneaks Up

5. In the words of Lorelai Gilmore "Coffee, Coffee, Coffee"

Oh, so done.

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1. When it's December 1 and you have seven things due, three exams, and haven't slept in three days.

2. So you stress.

3. And cry.

4. Then call your mom to cry some more.

5. After the pep talk, you feel determined to get everything done.

6. But, now you're tired.

7. And really hungry.

8. Suddenly, it's 2 a.m. and you have only written three sentences and your paper is due in the morning.

9. You've made it to Friday... somehow.

10. Then Sunday hits and you find yourself back at the Lib.

11. So you cry some more.

12. But, you fight through the tears to get everything done because you're determined.

13. In the end, you feel on top of the world because you made it through the last week of class alive.

14. But, now it's finals week so good luck.

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1. I'm so tired. I need a nap. Maybe I can sleep with my eyes open in class? Or pretend I'm not napping?

2. We have a test today? Why didn't anyone tell me? Did I know this?!

3. Can I quit school yet? It's only October, and I need a vacation.

4. The struggle is so real.

5. I'm so broke. SOS.

6. Stressed? Eat everything you own in your pantry and stuff your face with all your feelings.

7. "Did we have anything due in class today? Homework? Quiz? Test?" "Not that I know of..."

8. I need food. Where is the closest place to get food? I need it stat.

9. This is the longest day of my life. I need a drink, or two, or three.

10. Sleep? What is sleep? What a foreign concept.

11. When someone suggests going and studying in the library, let alone studying in general.

12. When the cafeteria or student center is packed and you can't find a seat anywhere so you literally have to sit in an abandoned corner.

13. When you see someone you used to hook up with. They see you, and approach you; so you have to pretend like everything is normal.

14. When you get your exam and realize you didn't study as much as you should have.

15. When you crush it on an exam or paper that you totally bullshitted.

16. I need a grande, extra strong coffee to get me through today.

17. When the professor announces you have a project due the following week with no instruction on what it's on and how to do it.

18. Is it Friday yet? Where's the weekend when you need it most?

19. It's freezing in here. I feel like I'm sitting in an igloo. I should have brought a jacket or worn long pants.

20. Did I remember my book? Damn, I forgot the book, and of course I need it for that quiz in class.

21. I would pay a million dollars to not go to class today; or actually never again.

22. I need a hoverboard to ride to class. Maybe then I wouldn't be running 15 minutes late to class every day.

23. Oh she/he's cute! I wonder if they're single. Who are they texting? They're BF/GF? I wonder if they think I'm cute. Could they be a potential new bae?

24. Why is there never any parking? I pay thousands of dollars a year for one parking spot to be open.

25. When it feels like you've been in class for an hour and you look at your phone and it has only been five minutes (I'm crying on the inside).

26. When the professor asks if there are any more questions at the end of class and someone raises their hand.

27. When you get assigned the most incompetent group of people possible for a group project.

28. I need a comfort dog so I can avoid all life and school responsibilities.

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

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