This morning, I got a large latte at Caffè Nero. Last night, several politicians I like got elected. Right now, I am sitting in my room with a warm breeze flowing in through the window. In other words, I am feeling grateful. There are a couple things at Olin that have been bringing joy into my life recently, and I wanted to take this chance to express them.
First on my mind is the new flowering lawn in the loop between the dorms. This new space feels so different from the traditional lawns covering campus and the towns around us. Vibrant, green, and untouched by the obnoxious whine of lawnmowers and leafblowers, I can’t help but smile when I walk past. I am so thankful for all who contributed to bringing it to life.
Second is the sun. I love the feeling of waking up with the sun shining through the window onto my face. Equally as enjoyable are sunsets from the memorial lounge balcony, turning the sky soft pinks and fiery oranges. As the days get shorter and eventually colder, these beautiful displays of color help break up monotonous hours of work for a moment of amazement and warmth.
Third is The Dump. Like many others here, I like to make things, and nothing inspires my making as much as going to The Dump. Many of our courses here use a lot of resources and produce abundant waste, which has always been hard for me to grapple with. It brings me a lot of hope that reusing the waste of others is such a ubiquitous part of Olin’s culture.
While I often find myself being a critic of Olin, I think it is equally important to express gratitude for the things that we love about it. It is these things that hold our community together and will help us grow to be better.
