Author: dannystewart99

I’ve made it. Here we are, the second week of December. It’s Finals Week, stress is flying up and down, and many people are clinging to their sanity.

Let me say this folks: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi comes out tomorrow night. I’ve quit all social media (except this blog) to avoid spoilers. I’m that serious about this film.

You think I’ve let the whole semester build up to get worried about Finals? Hell. No. I’m way more worried about Rey and Luke Skywalker than I am about my English Final tomorrow.

Here’s the reality of the situation: I found out on Day 1 of this semester (the same day the Solar Eclipse beautifully saw totality over my campus) that The Last Jedi was on the same day as my final. I decided then that my grade better be as high as it can be so I can walk into that test knowing my lack of focus would be “ok.”

Many people will probably look at my attitude and think, “Wow, you’re a fool. How can you put aside a college course for a movie?”

And to them I say: I’m not. I’ve put my best efforts into this semester and the work I’ve done!

( I also say:)

Considering I have one exam, I can look back at the work I’ve done this semester.

In my other English class, I was able to work with a team of editors and put together a Class Book. The book entails the necessity for adaptations of classic literature to survive in the modern era. It was a lot of fun to edit and work with Adobe’s InDesign to put together a piece of art that has essays from classmates.

I also got to learn a lot about British Classic literature and their adaptations which is definitely knowledge I’ll take forward. The active learning environment mixed with great content allowed for me to keep my sanity.

Another class I took was a Film and Culture class. In the class, I learned about how food can represent so much more than hunger satisfaction in film.

The class reiterated a lesson from Remus Lupin that I’ll take to my grave:

Not only will eating make you feel better, but it can reignite memories from the past. Eating is a social construct that brings people together. The best silence in the world is when hungry people can sit with each other and just eat.

This class allowed for me to create my own film. It’s a 40 minute film. The amount of time it would take to upload it to WordPress would be crazy.

I’m sorry I can’t share it with you. But, I documented Sunday Family Dinners that my roommates and I would create and then serve to friends. It’s an unusual event for college students, but I think it’s a necessity for togetherness over a great meal.

Documenting these dinners and learning why they’re important not only allowed for fun but it too allowed me to keep my sanity this semester.

I’d be crazy to not mention my journalism accolades.

This semester saw the beginning of my real-world journalism career. I got to work for the Columbia Missourian and become a beat writer for the University of Missouri volleyball team.

I wrote my first feature and wrote several game recaps. I even got to participate in a published round-table discussing the team’s hopes in the NCAA Tournament.

Attached to the newspaper work, I was in a lecture that normalized the world of journalism to us newbies. Participating in discussions about journalistic ethics, sharing my experiences, and hearing the stories of others have all added to my journalism knowledge.

Being able to manage my time in the newsroom as well as talk about journalism, all added in to my ability to (barely) keep my sanity this semester.

The only class I’ve left is the English class I have to take an exam for on Star Wars Day. I learned plenty about American Literature from the Civil War until the Cold War.

Participating in this class allowed for me to extend my knowledge on American literature and the history of our country. It also assisted in my time management improvement this semester.

Now, all I have to do is briefly recall some Walt Whitman poems from the American Civil War and not confuse them with stolen battle station plans from the Galactic Civil War.

I trust myself to do between “alright” and “great” on the exam I have. If not, I won’t suffer.

Want to know why? Because all semester, I’ve worked really hard to keep my sanity in all of my classes. I’ve done well in them and have produced great works.

Each class contained knowledge that I know I’ll bring forward into the rest of my life.

But for now, I listen to Master Yoda:

Briefly, I will unlearn what I’ve learned behind the desk this semester and focus on Star Wars. The knowledge I’ve gained will come back to me but now, it’s time to focus on what really allowed me to keep my sanity all semester.

~DS

Clearly for me, it’s the night before The Biggest _____ of my life.

I left that blank so I can keep you readers on your toes. But, you’re probably curious as to how I’m feeling. No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.

I FEEL NERVOUS.

I mean, why wouldn’t I? It’s The Biggest _____ of my life! I think the key thing to understand though is that I’m still just a college student with much life ahead of me, regardless of how tomorrow goes.

But I’ve had The Biggest [game, date, test, blog, etc.] before, so, why am I still nervous? I’m clearly still here after those events. They didn’t drastically alter my life but they provided learning cues for me to be able to write this blog.

I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is that I’m not the only one who’s feeling or has felt this way before. Everybody started as a nervous person faced with a daunting task. If you can understand you’re not alone in your situation, I think it provides quite the cool down of emotion.

Because you really don’t want to be jittery going into The Biggest _____ of your life. You must cool your emotions! Have a glass of water, listen to music, and do whatever you need to do to relax yourself before the event.

I can tell you I’ve gotten nervous just thanking somebody before. I’m serious. I was literally thanking someone for a favor and I was shaking and stumbling my words a little bit. Isn’t that crazy?

To me, it was! I was shocked at my reaction to that situation. I told myself, “You’ve walked into bigger situations and more nerve-racking moments than just saying ‘thank you’ to someone. What the hell was that?'”

Being able to evaluate myself and know where I went wrong is a big factor too. If you can break down your mistakes and weaknesses and turn them into strengths, you’re walking on rose petals.

Now, when I go to thank somebody in the future, I’ll know that it’s really weird to be nervous about saying thank you to someone and it won’t happen again.

I also think of my younger brother in a recent learning opportunity of mine. My former high school’s football team just won the 8A State Championship of Illinois. With my older brother as a coach and my younger brother as a player, I was able to live vicariously through them as I reminisced my days of being a part of that great football program.

I got to be a part of another state title run for Lincoln-Way East back in 2012. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way we wanted it and in all reality, no other game I ever played after that one ever came close to the magnitude of that loss.

As I bombarded my brother with congratulations and a hug after the semi-final win to go to state, he and a few of his teammates responded the same way: “We’ve got one more to go.”

The way they viewed a state title game really had an effect on me. I was so incredibly proud of the poise within my brother and his teammates. It’s changed the way I have to think before tomorrow.

Even a State Championship football game is just that– a football game. There’s no reason why you should view The Biggest _____ of your life as anything more than just a regular _____.

If the learning opportunities are learned from and the correct actions are taken at the time to take them, you’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I just have to be myself, prepare correctly, and react the right way.

I appreciate you, reader, for reading this small vent session before my big day tomorrow. But, if my Biggest _____ steps have helped you in any way, I wish you luck in your endeavors.

It’s not everyday you have the opportunity at The Biggest _____ of your life. So, 1) Make it count when you do. 2) Relax. 3) Evaluate past mistakes in similar situations and capitalize upon them to make yourself better. And 4) It’s just another _____ so just go in there and attack it!

~DS