Oberlin Blogs

Thanksgiving Reflection

December 1, 2021

Tim Martin ’22

Back at it again, I said to a friend as we talked about classes starting again on Monday. After traveling to New York, then Florida, the transition back to school seems almost anticlimactic. As quick as the break started, it ended, and now it’s time to get back to work. While I blogged throughout the trip I want to speak on the moments that may get lost in the mix when first speaking on something, but these are the moments one seems to remember the most as time passes.

Up late discussing career paths, life, and the present with the other members of the investment club. The discussion is almost philosophical, questions being asked whether one is living for the future too much when the only thing guaranteed is the present. I feel the future needs to be planned for while one simultaneously exists in the present, and this conversation does just that. Discussing upcoming internships and different job prospects, we make mental road maps of our future. As energy drains we head our separate ways for the night, mentally walking down the paths we just paved for ourselves.

Opening my eyes to Thanksgiving in Orlando, this is the first Thanksgiving I’ve ever spent away from home. Turkeys and hams cover my Instagram feed as me and my friends cook late into the night, trying to get our parents' recipes just right, cooking food that reminds us of home. Jokingly comparing the ones who can actually cook to Gordon Ramsay, joy fills the room. Thanksgiving in Orlando surrounded by friends, a TV show drama on the screen as the night passes on, life is peaceful.

The peace continues as my first day back passes. I just took a trip to the trainers as I was feeling pain in my knee, it’s a small setback, but sometimes in life you have to take steps back before you can move forward. I hope to continue taking steps forward over the rest of the semester and appreciate the small moments and the big moments.

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