The Rotunda

Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Features

A.J. Panneton, Rotunda Reporter

By A.J. Panneton
Rotunda Reporter

College stress: it's a killer. In fact, stress affects me so greatly that when I reflect back on my life I find it difficult to believe I have made it this far in one piece. I have overcome many obstacles that were much larger than myself, and I attribute that to my willpower, drive to succeed and of course a little bit of luck. Even though I'd like to give Michael Vick credit for this commonly used saying, the truth is that on Jan. 31, 1958, Dwight D. Eisenhower said to the Republican National Committee, "What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog." What does that mumbo jumbo mean? It means no matter how stressed you are or what situations you face, you can always fight to overcome them.

With life throwing me curve balls what seems like 99 percent of the time, it is not altogether rare for me to strike out when I step up to the plate. Yet, somewhere along the line, I began to realize that it didn't matter so much if I struck out or smacked it out of the park. What matters is despite WHAT happens at the plate, I will always walk back up to it and try again. Perhaps that is why I have the words "faith and fortitude" tattooed across my ribs.

I decided a few years ago that I never wanted to look into the mirror again without having that encouragement staring me back in the face. Have faith, be strong…have faith, be strong…have faith, be strong. You have no idea how many times I have had to just repeat those words in order to get through something, and this past week was one of those times.

I was at the end of my rope, losing my balance, about to forfeit all the progress I had made up to that point when I decided to add one more thing to my overflowing plate: writing this article. I had written for The Rotunda before, but not an editorial. This was different. The idea of people reading what I have to write…wait, let me change that. The idea of people voluntarily reading what I have to write is still somewhat unfamiliar. (Indeed, was my last English paper used as "cruel and unusual punishment" on the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay? Some fervently believe so, but it is merely conjecture at this point).

So here I was, almost out of gas, with another responsibility added to the pile. I was about to fall apart, but I didn't. Why? I decided to take some time off. Luckily, as I'm sure many students rarely have free time, I was fortunate enough to have a copious amount of it: time spent by myself with only my thoughts, my boxer Tyson and a warm fire to facilitate the reflection process.

Continued...

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