I have begun writing this article as I procrastinate working on my final paper for my senior seminar (apologies to my professor). I have been feeling extra contemplative lately as I am realizing that I have just a few days until graduation.

So, here is a non-exhaustive list of things I have learned in college: 

One, keep the faucet on. A writer told me this lately when I asked him if he had any advice about writing — keep writing even when it feels hard. I want to be a writer, to publish a book, to harness the creative thoughts in my head somehow. But to be a writer, I need to write. I keep expecting to be able to sit down and write something good without warming up. So here’s the advice: keep doing what fills your cup. Especially when it feels hardest, keep the faucet on, because college will always demand more of us. Do what makes your soul sing even when you think you have no energy. You may find a deeper well than you realize.

Two, shoot your shot. Go to the event even if you’re nervous. Email that person about an internship. The worst that someone can say is no. But what if they say yes? 

Three, dance. 

Four, do something good for the people around you. Random acts of kindness, no matter how simple they seem, travel farther than you could ever imagine. 

Five, travel. Go on that intercultural trip even if you are ninety-nine percent scared. Book the trip with your friends. 

Six, go on a side-quest regularly. Buccee’s at 10 p.m.? Yes. 7 a.m. 7 Brew? Yes. Riding the entire Harrisonburg bus system just to see the town? Yes. 

Seven, take your shoes off and feel the grass. Or the snow, if you like the cold. Be present. 

Finally, invest in relationships. Get to know your neighbors. Buy your friends a coffee just because. Linger in conversation even when you know it means sacrificing sleep. Walk around campus without your headphones on just in case you run into someone on the sidewalk. 

Taking all of this advice at once may feel ambitious. I feel a little overwhelmed by my own advice just rereading the list that I wrote. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to do it all at once. Pick one thing and be intentional about it for a week. Or two. Once it becomes a habit, pick something else. Be intentional about that for a week or two until it becomes a habit. 

Just like Rome, a whimsical life is not built in a day. It takes intentionality. 

The world around us seems to demand 24/7 productivity. The machines of war, capitalism, and industrialization demand that we feel numb, that we give in to whatever happens in the news, that we become apathetic because there is nothing we can do to change the system. It is more crucial than ever to lean into community, to take care of ourselves and those around us. This is where our habits of whimsy come in. Our ability to find joy is resistance in the midst of a system that tries to isolate us from each other. 

Find your habitual whimsy. But do not ever lose sight of the things you care about. Because to change the world, we must be present in it. Isn’t that what we come to college to prepare for?