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OPINION
Editorial: A hiatus from the highway Anna Leon
By Anna Leon Executive Editor The dashboard’s brake light had come on about two hours earlier in my black 1997 Nissan Sentra GXE; the electronic construction signs warned of the interstate being reduced to one lane 11 miles ahead, and traffic was already slowing down. I was driving north on I-81 through Virginia. It was almost 5 p.m., and the sun was tingeing all the green mountains around with gold. It was one of those scenes that writers love to write about and anyone can immediately picture in his head. Even after a notoriously glorious afternoon, however, evening must inevitably fall, and I wanted to get home—about three hours away—before it got too dark. So when the interstate ahead looked like
a stationary strand of red Christmas lights, I did the smart thing. I took a detour. Unfortunately, I was not the only intelligent driver that day. Everything was fine and dandy for about 30 seconds, when I came around a curve and had to stomp on my brakes. My tires sounded like a thousand dying mice. Ahead of me, tractor-trailers sat in an ugly scrawl along the landscape as far as I could see, and they weren’t moving. So I did the smart thing again. I took another detour. About then was when my GPS started to freak out. Half-an-hour later, I was driving on Poor Mountain Road, trying not to worry about my GPS saying “Recalculating” every 3.5 seconds and telling me to turn onto shadowy, gravel dead-end roads; and knowing that, if my brakes gave out after I had rounded a
slope’s summit, my emergency brake would probably be as effective as sprinkling pixie dust on my car and telling it to fly to Omaha. About then was when a pack of dogs started to chase my brave little Sentra, and I found that my reliable little GPS had led me down yet another dead-end road. I turned around. I don’t think I ran over any paws in the process, but it left me a tiny bit traumatized. After I turned the next corner, I stepped on my brakes again: this time not to keep myself from dying, but because the sight ahead surprised me. I was high in the mountains, far from anything remotely suburban, and ahead of me were more mountains, pristine and uncivilized. It was beautiful. My first sense was of feeling pagan, as if I had just uncovered something sacred, forbidden. My next sense
Be well at Asbury and beyond By Jessica Malloy Staff Writer You don’t need me to tell you that college is difficult. You don’t need me to tell you that keeping up healthy eating habits in the cafeteria seems next to impossible, and I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that when it’s time for a test, sleep and wellness almost always take the back burner. You are the one in control of your life, and it’s a tough life to lead. We are young, but for how much longer? We destroy our bodies during our college years and develop some of the worst habits with only a slap on the hand; until, of course, we turn 40. So maybe you don’t need me to tell you all the hard things that are going on in your life, but you may appreciate some guidance on how to break the cycle. That is why I am here; every week, I would like to offer you some pointers on how to better take care of yourself despite the pressures of school. Every time I go back to school from a break, I
get so excited about getting a fresh start and doing well in school. It’s like I get to make New Year’s resolutions throughout the year! But like most of my New Year’s resolutions, these goals I set are short-lived. I always get lazy or busy, and my goals slip. But I have found that most of the time I fail because I set my goals too high or I take on too much at once. So instead of big goals, this year I plan on taking baby steps and making small changes. This is the best time to make adjustments to your lifestyle; a new dorm, a new roommate, new classes and new friends are the perfect foundation to start new, healthy habits. I encourage you to try these ideas with me, and maybe together we can make a change in our school for a healthier life. It’s not going to be easy to keep these things up, but try to get a friend to do this with you. Don’t worry: no one expects you to be able to do all this alone. If you keep checking back on this column, I will be sure to keep you accountable, helping you live a healthy and fulfilling life.
was one of immense privilege. I hadn’t been searching for a sight like this, but here it was anyway, and millions of other people could not see the same thing at that moment. My five-hour drive turned into an almost eight-hour trek that day. I don’t regret those three hours or that extra gas, though; I would have several fewer stories to tell if I had stayed on the interstate. I get annoyed with people who say, in slow, thoughtful voices, “All good things come to those who wait.” As a journalist, I’m a huge fan of anything efficient. If something completes a job quickly, or tells the story in just a few words, I’m ready to endorse it. Sometimes, however, just sometimes, life experience will find itself greatly enriched by a hiatus from the highway.