How can you ask such a question of a wall in a library with thousands of books of poetry!? Well, here’s a favorite poem about writing poems, by Seamus Heaney: poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging

GOAT: “…But I am talking too much. It’s because I chatter that I do nothing. Or perhaps it is that I chatter because I do nothing. I’ve learned to chatter this last month, lying for days together in my den thinking… of Jack the Giant-killer. Why am I going there now? Am I capable of that? Is that serious? It is not serious at all. It’s simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything! Yes, maybe it is a plaything.”

Sandwiches, salads, pasta. Hummus and pita bread and tabbouleh. Maybe throw in a frozen dinner if time is short. Best to eat healthy, but eating something is crucial during finals.

No, and I hope you don’t either. According to the CDC, “People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke.” And I want to see you live a long and healthy life.

That’s got to be a hard decision. I would advise getting advice from your academic advisor, and also making a pro/con list. Do you have a gut sense of which choice you would regret if you didn’t choose it?

OK, just imagine me, The Answer Wall, taking on Thriller…. (Got you giggling, didn’t I?)

Gotta love ’em all. ?????? ?????????????????????

Senior year brings on all the feels. I hope you can embrace the hope and possibilities of your future; it doesn’t have to be stuck at home 24/7. Spend part of the year building that better future by meeting up with the helpful folks at the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career).

evermore & ivy <3

Hugs! Here’s a secret I learned – you are the one who gets to define what success means in your life, not your parents, not BC, not the forces of social media. What matters to you? Work at making it happen.

One estimate cited on a National Institutes of Health website, is 700 lb. (bit.ly/NIHWoodchuck)

Embrace your inner nerd.

Ask for encouragement from friends & family. Self-care: sleep, food, showers, quick walks outdoors. Did I mention encouragement? Also give yourself small rewards & take frequent short breaks: work for 30 min, break for 5. You can do this!

Right now, and always. ❤️

That’s hard. You put yourself in that place for reasons, and it can be hard to let go of them even when it isn’t working for you. If it were all toxic it would be easier, but it never is, and you can hold onto what’s good about the situation for a long time. It’s also easy to stick with something familiar, even if it’s terrible. All of that is totally normal. Take care of yourself, and don’t beat yourself up for taking a while to make a decision.

Sigh… as a supportive wall, I’m staying put. But I do love to hear about other folks’ travels!

A couple thoughts. Crunch time is stressful, but it does signal that the semester is almost over. Mix it up a little: work on something else for a bit and then go back to the crisis, it sometimes lowers the emotional temperature. Try and keep yourself fed and watered, and get enough sleep. Hold on. You’re going to make it.

It’s worth making the effort – I think you may ultimately find it very freeing.

An age-old mystery. Try part three of this Oxford Handbook: https://bit.ly/bc-brains