Mount Reflection

— Lina Ibrahim ‘23, Biology (Pre-Med)

Crumbs

And just as suddenly as I fell asleep, I was awake. Birds were chirping, the neighbors were mowing their lawns, and the overbearing sun was shining in my face. It was a new day, but still, I had some crumbs left over from days past sprinkled all over me. And no matter how much I jumped, shimmied, and shook, I just couldn’t get them off me. I wore my frustration like a heavy coat, weighing on me, slowing me down. With each heavy step, I wished that yesterday could just slough off of me like a snake shedding its skin. I hoped that a vigorous wind would blow and carry it up and away and into the sky. I wanted to bury it all deep down in the ground to decompose and never again resurface. I stopped to think and like a bright momentary flash of light, it came to me as suddenly as I had awakened. What am I if not an accumulation of crumbs? Pieces of myself are built from experiences, good and bad, lessons learned, and life lived. These triumphs and traumas have forged and shaped the person I call self, so why do I forcefully try to expel them? I have no other choice but to acknowledge, accept, and embrace all of my past. Because without my crumbs I am nothing at all.

— Ashley Enweze ’22, Nursing