Spring Break
My journey to Neverland
Sydney Taylor
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Opinion
During the summer of 2008 I met the modern day version of Peter Pan. And he drank boxed wine.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, my fiancé and I seized the opportunity to work in the Adirondack Mountains at a rustic lodge. For roughly $8 an hour we scrubbed toilets, informed tourists from New Jersey that there were no car accessible roads to the High Peaks, and worked in a sweltering kitchen with no air conditioning. The kitchen is where I met the man who refused to grow up.
At 40 years old, this guy could fit all of his belongings into a backpack. He had never been to college, held a serious job or owned a car. A quintessential drifter with a drinking problem, he was a gentle stoner who made amazing chocolate chip cookies.
Initially, I was confused and slightly disgusted by his lackluster lifestyle. I have always prided myself on being a straight-A student with an encyclopedia-length list of plans and goals. My friends and family have always teased me about being an old lady trapped in a young person's body - my 61-year-old mother has even accused me of not knowing how to have fun.
For me, college has not been a party. I spend almost all of my free time studying and thinking about the future.
After spending a summer living in a tent across from this free-spirited person (who did not use a cell phone or a bank account) - I learned an important lesson: Although I do not want to spend the rest of my life bereft of responsibility, I need to embrace my inner Peter Pan and slow down the race to grow up.
This person I met in the Adirondacks may not be considered traditionally successful, but he loves life. And he lives it in his own way. In the future, I may have an important job or a large paycheck, but at the end of the day if I can't smile and enjoy life then what was the point of all that hard work?
Next year I will graduate. Instead of jumping directly into grad school, I am actually going to take a break from my academic-obsessed lifestyle and savor the unpredictability of living without a timeline.
For one year I will refuse to grow up, sip a glass of boxed wine, and maybe I will find my personal Neverland before I start that scary reality of adulthood.
Sydney Taylor is a junior art history major and guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, my fiancé and I seized the opportunity to work in the Adirondack Mountains at a rustic lodge. For roughly $8 an hour we scrubbed toilets, informed tourists from New Jersey that there were no car accessible roads to the High Peaks, and worked in a sweltering kitchen with no air conditioning. The kitchen is where I met the man who refused to grow up.
At 40 years old, this guy could fit all of his belongings into a backpack. He had never been to college, held a serious job or owned a car. A quintessential drifter with a drinking problem, he was a gentle stoner who made amazing chocolate chip cookies.
Initially, I was confused and slightly disgusted by his lackluster lifestyle. I have always prided myself on being a straight-A student with an encyclopedia-length list of plans and goals. My friends and family have always teased me about being an old lady trapped in a young person's body - my 61-year-old mother has even accused me of not knowing how to have fun.
For me, college has not been a party. I spend almost all of my free time studying and thinking about the future.
After spending a summer living in a tent across from this free-spirited person (who did not use a cell phone or a bank account) - I learned an important lesson: Although I do not want to spend the rest of my life bereft of responsibility, I need to embrace my inner Peter Pan and slow down the race to grow up.
This person I met in the Adirondacks may not be considered traditionally successful, but he loves life. And he lives it in his own way. In the future, I may have an important job or a large paycheck, but at the end of the day if I can't smile and enjoy life then what was the point of all that hard work?
Next year I will graduate. Instead of jumping directly into grad school, I am actually going to take a break from my academic-obsessed lifestyle and savor the unpredictability of living without a timeline.
For one year I will refuse to grow up, sip a glass of boxed wine, and maybe I will find my personal Neverland before I start that scary reality of adulthood.
Sydney Taylor is a junior art history major and guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Frank
posted 2/24/09 @ 10:11 AM EST
One way to change is not get married so young. I don't understand why all these college students are trying to get married so young. live a little.
Mr. Jesse Merino
posted 2/24/09 @ 3:01 PM EST
Its amazing, the people you meet, while going through life...
Some will make you think, while others will make you cringe, and all this is part of the 'life experience'. (Continued…)
a student
posted 2/24/09 @ 5:05 PM EST
Life is a system of checks and balances. In my opinion the ultimate goal in life should not be to make the most money or have the most friends. It should be achieving the balance of work and play. (Continued…)
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