Spring or Winter Break?

With spring break fast approaching, the impatience and tension in the air begin to mount. Teacher throw around midterms conveniently all in the same three days, leaving everyone disgruntled and stressed to put it mildly. On top of all this hype, the weather here seems to be having difficulty making up it's mind. Two days ago it was in the 60s and it felt a little surreal. Birds were chirping, the quad was bustling, and everyone in general seemed like the epitome of a happy college student. To walk outside and find that I needed to shed layers instead of pile them on was refreshing. I was put in a good mood immediately, and felt like my day just had a positive vibe to it. I planned on Friday to go on a jog with one of my friends, and couldn't believe that we were actually willing and eager to run outside. Prepared for another beautiful day, I woke up the next morning and wore only a light jacket. Instead of sun though, I was met with rain. It's funny just how quickly my mood changed in those few instances. I walked right back into my apartment and grabbed my rain jacket, already irritated with the prospect of a dreary day. The temperatures began to plummet all day and I soon found my attitude reflecting this downward spiral. I remember reading in the bathroom publication Potty Mouth that seasonal depression is something very real, and affects tons of students. To experience this first hand isn't pleasant at all. The next day it was back to the usually 30 something degrees and the wind was blowing so hard that I saw people being physically moved by the wind. Tour groups were all over campus and I realized that like me, these prospective students were probably already put off by both the temperature and the wind. When I visited JMU as a senior in high school, it was a warm and beautiful day. I remember seeing everyone out on the quad and sitting all around campus. To me, it seemed idealistic. But honestly, if things had been different and the weather had been what it was yesterday, I'm not so sure how my college decision would have played out. It's strange that nature plays such a huge role in daily life, and I just hope those touring students come back on a day with better weather....but with weather like this, who knows when that will be.