by Reilly Jaworski | Feb 1, 2021 | Archive
Happy second semester! Cue the banners and confetti, we’re coming around the bend to a nervous breakdown. I mean, that’s what we always do. Breaking down is all just part of it, right? Well, traditionally, yes, but it shouldn’t be. Let’s take a look at each problem we have, and then put it into perspective, school oriented or not. If we do that, maybe we won’t have such a strong penchant for anxiety.
Pick a problem, preferably the biggest one you are currently pushing your way through. Now, look out a window and direct your attention upward. That’s the sky. What’s encouraging about that sky, is that it won’t topple over and cave in on itself if for some reason your qualms centered around your biggest problem turn out to be true. So, that’s a really good thing. No matter how big you think your problem could potentially be, it won’t be big enough to cause the disintegration of the sky. At least, I wouldn’t assume so. We should also acknowledge the simple fact that your problem will not turn out to be as big of an issue as you currently think it is. Every time you lose yourself in reveries of the future, good and bad, you are always lying to yourself. The truth is that nothing is what you think it will be. If you’re sitting here right now, bouncing your knee at the prospect of a presentation you have to give going terribly asunder, you can stop bouncing your knee and stop tapping your fingers on the nearest hard surface. It won’t be the fiasco you’re picturing and torturing yourself with. That being said, I am only telling you not to worry, I am not telling you to disregard the importance of preparation. It could still go poorly, it just probably won’t go as poorly as you’re anticipating. Study, practice, and prepare, but stop worrying so much. Additionally, preparing helps to ease the mind naturally. When you feel ready for something, you aren’t nervous about it. So, do your work, and try not to assume that everything is going to go wrong, because it won’t.
The next thing I want to touch on is a cliche. You know the old adage: Everything happens for a reason. How outdone. So outdone in fact, that those words have probably lost all meaning on you. However, this broken record is irrevocably accurate. One of the biggest concepts I believe in is fate. Life has multitudinous pathways, all of which have the potential to be trekked by you. Amongst the various pathways, is one that has been cultivated specifically for you. So, let’s say something goes wrong and your worst nightmare has come true. Scary? Probably. Necessary? Most definitely. If your worst nightmare comes true, then your worst nightmare was meant to come true. Loads of people don’t believe in fate, but I inquire, why not? If something goes wrong, don’t play the victim, it isn’t becoming. When something happens differently than the way you had it played out in your head, simply rise to the occasion. Accept the fact that it happened and that it happened for a reason. Now, try to pick a piece of goodness out of it and walk farther along that pathway of yours.
When we start to think about the vast universe, we view ourselves as tiny little specks, barely discernible among the stars and galaxies shining far brighter than us and spanning far wider. Inside of the tiny specks that we are, is where our problems reside. Please don’t feel the universe collapsing around you if your problem manifests. The universe isn’t collapsing.
by Reilly Jaworski | Jan 26, 2021 | Archive
This will likely be a hard one to write. In fact, let me just preface the whole thing by saying: This year was horrid. Strictly speaking, it was a fiasco of drastic proportions. Now that the obvious truth has been acknowledged, I can get going with why this wreck of a year was necessary, why we definitely shouldn’t forget it, and how to proceed with the years to come, leaving the grim shadow of 2020 behind us, but never out of view.
Kindly do yourself a favor and reflect on two things: Firstly, the difference between the person you are now and the person you were right before 2020, and secondly, the difference between the world now and the world a year ago. You probably see two vastly different pictures, one of the past, and one of the present. The present might look better than the past to you or maybe you see it as far worse. Most of us are probably in agreement on the latter. That said, both of these perceptions are valid and understandable. Either way, the changes that the world underwent and the changes that you persevered through to get past this massive bump in the road were undoubtedly necessary. As hard as it is to fathom how life can go from seamless to nearly unbearable in just a matter of moments, it is not for us to understand. Often, suffering happens without rhyme, reason, or warrant, but it never leaves without teaching the recipient something worth remembering. I can’t necessarily tell you what this year taught you personally, but I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much introspection for something to surface. This year was not gentle and it likely won’t let us go back to the same degree of softness we once possessed. 2020 didn’t leave until it taught us how to be ready for the years yet to come. Now, we can greet 2021 with aplomb, remembering that if we were able to conquer 2020, we can surely face any other form of adversity with an unshakable poise. Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back.
Just because you’ve made it past the beast of 2020 doesn’t mean you should forget encountering it. You might not even be able to forget it even if you wanted to as this year is definitely one for the books. I literally picture textbook companies already breaking ground on material that our generation’s children will read in social studies classes. Eerie. We won’t be able to forget this year. Honestly, you shouldn’t even try. More importantly, you shouldn’t want to try. Are we as a civilization naive enough to think that remnants of pain will immediately leave our system after the perpetrator is no longer present? Why would we even want to forget what we endured? If you went through a time of physical hardship and came out the other end with battle scars, would you want to remove them? Or would you want to show them off? Personally, I would flaunt my badges of fortitude. The same is true with mental tribulations. You should feel proud to have survived through 2020. One day, you’ll be able to tell someone what it was like to live through such a strange, emotionally demanding year. That being said, in order to talk about this year and exhibit proof of your grit, you’ll have to remember going through it.
I know you will do great things in the next year, and I truly believe that the effects of 2020 will push you closer to those noble enterprises. March on with the knowledge that you won’t run away from your demons in 2021, after learning to face them in 2020.
by Reilly Jaworski | Jan 25, 2021 | Archive
A crippling condition, an inescapable void, an impossible situation. What a mess boredom can be. If you let it. I know that when you’re incredibly occupied most of the time with a perpetual conveyor belt of school assignments or unrelated tasks it might actually be stressful when it seems the belt of activity has ceased moving. The concept of free time is so sought after that when you get it, it’s almost as if you caught hold of a mythical creature and you have absolutely no idea what to do with it. Once caught, the formerly desired free time is too often dubbed as boredom and boredom is not a word that is customarily associated with fond musings. That being acknowledged, I challenge you to think differently. Please stop finding boredom so boring. I can help you change your mind.
I’m about to send you into an existential crisis (don’t worry) with a simple truth: The essence of boredom is possibility. Read that again. Once you’ve got a good hold on that thought, I want you to think about how it applies to you. Are there things you want to do in your life? Especially things that you never do because you claim you “never have time for”? They can be super small. Really tiny. Frivolous, even. Basically, I’m telling you to get a hobby. Let’s have an example: Over the summer, after I’d finished all of my summer homework, I was struck by this strange state of affairs in which I had nothing to do. Much to my dismay, doing nothing was quite tiresome. So, I bought a ukulele. I’m no Hendrix and I can barely manage to switch between notes (I can, however, do a very low grade version of Twist and Shout by the Beatles). The thing is though, perfection is not a necessary factor in a hobby. Not very good at painting but you still like to mix the colors and see what results? Pick up a brush and do it. Right now! Well, do it when you’re done reading this. Do you have any desire to start knitting? It’s not such a ridiculous thought. Knit yourself a nice hat to keep warm. Make one for me, too, while you’re at it. I’ll wear it proudly. The world is your oyster, my friend and I’m fully convinced that you can do whatever you please. If you don’t think boredom is freeing by now, I’m a tad concerned you never will.
Now that you have all of these ideas running rampant in that eager brain of yours, let’s talk about how to keep them there. Please refrain from wasting your time allotted for boredom on your phone. Unless it’s going on Pinterest and searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe, consider your phone off limits during your time of languor. It is incredibly easy to give into the temptation of technology, but if you do this, you must accept the repercussions: You won’t finish knitting your hat. A weighty consequence, I know. That being said, the punishment fits the crime. Allow yourself to do something not necessarily for the greater good of humanity, but for the greater good of you. Don’t inadvertently talk yourself out of your goal by letting yourself diverge from the process. Go headfirst into the fortunate abyss of boredom, and don’t let anything stop you.
Hopefully by now, you’re able to see a situation of dullness as a rather vibrant opportunity. I hope that you accept and revel in boredom when it’s presented to you and ultimately strive for the same unoccupied state in the future. Go do something you could never do before. Don’t let me stop you.
by Reilly Jaworski | Dec 7, 2020 | Advice, Archive
Whether you’re a virtual student trying to get in the swing of things, or an excluded student figuring out how these two weeks at home can be beneficial, you’re probably in pursuit of a little guidance. Enter: Me, a virtual student who feels rather strongly about the positive attributes associated with this unprecedented form of learning.
Starting out not thrilled with the concept of online learning, picking out its benefits was an unavoidable task, as there’s quite the lineup of pros that seem to outweigh the more talked of cons. Firstly, let’s talk comfort, the overwhelming beauty that goes along with at home learning. Wear those flannel pajamas your grandparents gave you, wake up with just enough time to eat a bowl of cereal before class (if you’re part of the fortunate minority that has the luxury of leaving their camera off during first hour, eat your Cap’n’ Crunch while learning quadratics). Lean into it. You can’t do this at school. While we’re on the subject of food, it’s important to note that lunch will be served from your personal kitchen. Ah, the kitchen. It’s not as cold as the school cafeteria and you can eat whatever you can get your paws on. Go ahead and heat up that pizza you had for dinner last night, not a single soul is deterring you from a warm piece of pie. Can’t you taste the freedom?
On the subject of socialization, I’ll argue passionately that it’s not stifled in virtual school; it’s simply different. Being a relatively introverted person, virtual school was a surprisingly pressuring platform that all but forced me to interact with people whom I’ve always known but never conversed with. Consequently, I will boldly proclaim that I’ve made more new friends in the midst of online learning than I would have otherwise made in person. When you see someone everyday in the halls or sit next to them during independent work in class, there’s no real incentive to reach out to them. You know they are there, but that’s all they are: There. Their faint presence is almost noticeable to you, but not enough to keep you from overlooking them. This is a truth that’s hard to admit, but that I theorize most students can attest to. However, building relationships online is practically inevitable as that’s how most class participation is recorded. For anyone who says that virtual learning kills the prospect of forming relationships between students and other students or students and their teachers, I would just like to politely counter: You’re wrong.
One of the most intellectually significant positives of virtual learning is simply that it saves so much time that would otherwise be wasted scrolling through Snapchats, sending pictures of foreheads back and forth between you and the people you barely know. There’s no walking from class to class, no driving to and from school and no waiting for others to catch up in class after you’ve already finished your work. That last one is where most of the Snapchats are sent. In person, school is more of a collective effort where everyone is expected to cater to the needs of others. Not that this isn’t a noble act of consideration, but let’s face it, you have other things to do. Virtually, after finishing an assignment and making sure it’s up to snuff, you can get other things done, school related or otherwise. If you finish your work for Math, move on to English. If you have time between classes, make your bed or even relax and watch TV or listen to music. It’s up to you. Independence is one of the greatest gifts that being virtual will give you.
This isn’t the ideal situation we all had in our head. However, it has become our reality. It’s best not to run from it or wallow. What we should really do is embrace the gifts it’s given us, the biggest being pajama days in high school. I think that counts for something.
