Don't linger in comfort zone, move on
It’s time to move on.
Unfortunately for me (and I assume you) this will be the last thing I ever write for The Franklin. It’s difficult to fit all I want to say into one 550-word newspaper column, but since I’ve already used 44 of those words, I had better get on with it.
I’ve spent all four years of my college career working for The Franklin, the last two of those spent trying to get a multimedia program off the ground. At best, it slightly hovers.
But I’m proud of the work done by my staff and I know that with time it will become what it needs to be.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my time in the newsroom. Fun in the newsroom is inevitable; it’s the polar opposite of going to a Taylor Swift concert.
Richard Gootee (another polar opposite of T-swift … but for a different reason) and I would break the tension of a late night by beating the crap out of each other. The time when I smashed a plastic jack-o’-lantern trick or treat bucket on his face will always be a fond memory.
There’s the time when Isaac Daniel and I made raincoats out of recycled paper bins, or the psychological damage I’ve caused to Julie Crothers by insisting that she is ball parking 300 pounds after a diet. Not to mention the time we used the basement as a NERF fort.
Not all of my time was spent in the Shirk Hall basement creating havoc or causing friends to develop an eating disorder. There was the occasional time spent in the classroom. From time to time I could be found studying.
OK, that’s a total lie, but I have learned, and pushed my boundaries.
I now know that I can inspire the perfect amount of shock and uncomfortable laughter by making a dumpster baby joke. I can make a friend smile just by saying, “You don’t know me,” or “mandate.”
I know that if the Cubs lose by more than three runs, you shouldn’t make eye contact with Gootee for at least an hour. I can solicit free Sodexo food, I can skip class and get away with it and I can even protest equal pay for women, and recycling without being a total jerk.
What I’m trying to say is that in my own way, I’ve mastered Franklin College. I would bet that most other graduating seniors feel the same way. It’s taken four years, a lot of mistakes along the way and many late night trips to Steak n’ Shake, but I have finally things figured out.
I’ve got quite the comfort zone here at Franklin. And while comfort zones are … well, comforting, they are the worst things for 22-year-olds. They will completely paralyze you.
A comfort zone can keep us from challenging ourselves or from trying new experiences. I’m young, stupid and idealistic. I want to experience everything. And there’s no better time than the present.
Yes, the safety, friendship and love that come from being here on this campus will be missed. But staying here would force me to become stagnant. So, as I said before, it’s time to move on. Live big my friends.
P.S. – John Krull, you’ve been like a little brother to me.
