Over a month into the school year and the falling leaves mark the end of another action-packed
summer in Eau Claire.

Now is the time to dust off the light jackets and gobble up as many fresh apples as possible before we have to put up with those wax-covered hunks of fiber from California.

As we settle into our routines and approach the middle of the semester, it is easy to find ourselves living in a rut. Breakfast, class, work, sleep, repeat.

I can understand having a routine, but I can’t imagine it’s healthy for a person to do the same thing every single day. Wisconsin’s long winters are enough in themselves to drive a person crazy, so why should your schedule do the same?

To remedy my pre-winter “blahs,” I take a different approach the school year: instead of approaching school as my entire life, I try to think of it as only another part of my life.

The fact that my classes start at 10 a.m. doesn’t mean my entire day has to start then. It’s true that school is at the basis of being a student, but what good is college if you only have fun on the weekends?

Falling into a rut can be seriously detrimental to a person’s mental health, and the detriment lies in the experiences one misses out on. There’s nothing dangerous about doing the same thing day after day, but what is there to show for it once your have your degree? You have a degree and nothing more.

Think back to some of your fondest recent memories. Did any of them occur while you were sticking to your schedule? If so, you probably stick to it way too much. If not, good for you. It would probably be beneficial to consider why these memories are so fond to you. Isolate the good things you’ve experienced and store them; good things seem to beget more good things.

As humans, we are all about change (although sometimes it can be scary); we read the news, we watch dramatic TV shows and we gossip about our acquaintances in search of something new and exciting.

Now brace yourself, I’m about to drop a juicy Ghandi quote on your brain: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” If we thrive on change so much, why not try to live it on a smaller level?

Keep yourself in check this fall season, and be honest. Ask yourself if the way you’re living is the way you want to live. Others will surely follow.