Dear Class of 2015,
A few days ago, I threw my back out. At first it was uncomfortable, then moderately painful, then, this morning, acute. My mind and body disagreed about how best to proceed. There are too many things to do to be laid up, I thought, too many projects to complete; there are rehearsals and classes and conferences and meetings and plays to attend, a new puppy to pick up after, chores and groceries and cleaning to be done. Yet, alas, the body has its limits. I muscled through the first few days, but that only made it worse and worse. Finally every step was excruciating and even sitting or standing up made everything so much harder. It wasn’t ultimately my choice whether or not to keep going. I finally went to the doctor.
You have probably had similar experiences. Besides being uncomfortable, physical pain or other threats to our health cry out for a different response, sometimes, than what we may believe and have been taught to do. It seems right and good, doesn’t it, to soldier on, to put the tasks that must be done ahead of the ailments that can hold us back?
Often that’s right. A moderate headache shouldn’t be allowed to keep us from going to class. A cold shouldn’t keep us from writing. A muscle ache shouldn’t prevent us from going for a walk. But every once in a while, the headache becomes a migraine, the cold becomes pneumonia, and the backache becomes acute, debilitating pain that makes it hard to walk or sit or think.
In these cases, we have to step back and take stock. We are mortal. Our bodies are not merely vehicles through which our minds travel. They are the seat of our being, and hopefully our well-being. Sometimes we have to rest and heal. Our physical and mental health are both the necessary prerequisite for academic success and the core of happiness.
Take care of yourself. I’ll try to do the same.
Kyle Gillette
Class Marshal
