Getting back up to Speed

January 30, 2016 by Kenny Kessler

The Beacon Bolt is a publication of the student body of Northwest Christian University. Time never stops, and unfortunately we’re sometimes slow to react to it. Three weeks into the new semester and some of us are still groggily waking up from the dreamy state of Christmas vacation. Four weeks of Christmas break goes by a lot faster than four weeks of school ever seems to. That’s how time tends to work when the going is good and easy, and in many ways Christmas break can be a brief episode of nostalgia, highlighting memories of simple childhood. A throwback to when you were younger and had way fewer worries and less responsibilities. As long as you make sure the kitchen is clean after you make a snack and follow mom’s rules it’s easy livin’.

Honestly for me it’s even easier than when I used to live at home since I only go back once a year. It’s always the break I need. But it’s not just the house itself that makes it great; my parents, siblings, pets, kicking back and relaxing. I like home because it’s home. I like that horses and chickens can be found on our block within the city limits. Our next door neighbors own a pair of llamas. I like that there are lots of pickup trucks and country folk where I live, and while I doubt I will ever own one or be the other, it’s nice to be surrounded by people who know how to get their hands dirty and have a way of life that is honest. And yes, I like living in a place full of right-wingers who aren’t ‘feeling the Bern’.

Calm down, I’m not trying to get into a political discussion right now, I’m still shaking off the nostalgia and quick glimpse of the way things were. My younger brothers and sisters bugging me, and their shrill laughs and screams when I drop my Xbox controller to give chase. Or listening to my Mom think aloud for fifteen minutes under the guise of “conversation”. After a good long wait I’ll get my two cents in too. The best philosophical and theological discussions have always been with my parents (Sorry Bollenbaugh and Goetz, hey you’re close). The landscape isn’t gorgeous, but it’s beautiful in its own familiar way. It’s easy to wish it would never end.

But alas, life goes on and we all end up back in Eugene again, maybe a little begrudgingly. It’s easy to see just the negative during these early semester days. Like the fact that with all the rain that Eugene sees every year, nobody had the foresight to raise the sidewalks up a few inches, easily avoiding the large portions that become completely submerged in puddles so long and broad there’s no way to advance without getting soaked up to your ankles or muddying them up terribly on the soggy grass grime.

There are positives too, though. It’s way warmer here, a lot nicer for running than Idaho’s icy 20s. Having the three day weekend right off the bat is a nice way to ease into things too. And being back with the friends from school is a lot of fun.

I’m pretty quick on a soccer field, but an atrociously slow starter when it comes to school. Fortunately it’s about how you finish more so than start. I’ll gradually get used to the new semester’s workload, some things never change. Four years in and I’m still getting my feet under me. But just like every semester prior I know that I and all of you will eventually buckle down, get our work done, get decent grades, and have some good times in the process.

So if you’re still getting up to speed in 2016, don’t sweat it. Just don’t lollygag for too long fam.