Things are looking apocalyptic on my end, folks. My days are filled with papers, projects, deadlines, interviews and commitment after time-sucking commitment. It's about the time when we get a little scared and wonder, "Am I going to even pass my classes?" And frankly, I've hit the point in the semester when the only way I can manage to chug through all my work is to surrender my credit card to Starbucks and pray to all that is good and wholesome for guidance to the summer.
You all know the feeling. The same almost-the-end-of-the-semester desperation, apprehension and tension have hovered over your heads before. But what keeps you from feeling totally overwhelmed? What do you cling to in order to maintain your sanity and to keep yourself from feeling totally consumed with stress or apathy?
For me, it's a combination of many things. I, like most people, am lucky enough to have a strong network of friends and family who are willing to listen to me rant and rave like the crazy woman I am when I get overwhelmed. And, in between the sounding boards of people who can stand my whining, I sprinkle in a good measure of ice cream, chocolate and Dave Matthews' music to wash the stress away. And while all of that is well and good, the most important weapons I use to fight the black clouds that hover over my head is both simple and complex: faith.
This isn't the brand of faith you might associate with religion and higher beings (not that there's anything wrong with that). But, the kind of faith I rely on goes something like this: I drown in a sea of work and deadlines, freak out, think the world is going to end and find someone to slap some sense into me. Then, I step back from my work and say, "You know what? It is going to be OK." Rest assured, I have no one guaranteeing this state of "OK." I just know it is there, and I know it will come. Summer will roll along, all my classes will be done and, in the end, I know I'll still be alive. Things get ugly, but they always pan out in the end.
Jeff Anderson can tell you what I'm talking about. In this week's centerpiece (page 6 and 7), writer Samantha Xanthos followed Anderson through what might be the toughest part of this life so far. Doctors diagnosed Anderson with a brain tumor, which turned his life upside down. He was ready to graduate, but his plans had to be postponed. Despite the fear-inducing, stress-producing situation he and his family faced, they all managed to have a little faith and know that in the end, things would be OK.
Although my academic worries and the worries most of us have pale in comparison to the anxiety caused by the brain tumor Jeff had, the admirable way he and his family dealt with the situation can teach us a lesson.
There's something to be said about casting reason aside and just being assured that everything will be OK.
Reach the reporter at spmag@asu.edu.
