10. Atypical Day

I wanted to outline a typical day at college, so incoming students might have a specific idea of what to expect. Mostly I meant for this to be a warning against procrastination, an illustration of how much turns up that you need to take care of in a single day. I'm bad about putting things off until it’s almost too late, so I know for a fact that it tends to catch up with you. The day I decided to catalog was a random one – a normal autumn Tuesday. The date was September 11, 2001.

In light of the terrorist attacks, I figured the purpose of my dumb little chapter had been defeated. I wanted to write about a normal day, and that Tuesday was anything but. Then I thought more about it, and realized the day’s terrible events would emphasize my point. It was a morning like any other; I even remember thinking how nice the weather was as I stepped out into the crisp fall air.

The day soon became a grim, shocking reminder that we should not take the time God has given us for granted. Don’t leave important things unsaid or undone, because you never know what the next day might bring – or whether it will arrive at all.

With so many experienced, qualified authors and journalists covering the events of September 11, 2001, I will make no weak attempt to talk about the implications of that day in any sort of depth. I will, however, include recordings from my notebook as I’d originally intended. So, following are the details of this college kid’s day:

8:00AM – My clock wakes me up. I switch off the noise and open my eyes wide to avoid falling back asleep.

8:01 – I roll out of bed, grab my toothpaste and shower bucket, and head for the bathroom.

8:28 – I’m done with my shower, go back to my room and get dressed.

8:50 – At the dining hall I run into some guys from my corridor. Usually I eat breakfast alone, so it's nice having people to sit with for once.

9:10 – I head back to my room...on the way I pass a cute girl and she says hi!

9:15 – I grab my books and leave for philosophy class.

9:25 – What!? I walk into class and a girl says, "Did you hear about the trade center?" She proceeds to tell us that a plane hit one of the twin towers, and that as she watched the second tower was hit. My first reaction is that this was a terrible accident; then as we talk we all realize it must have been something even worse.

9:29 – The professor arrives to class. We talk for much of the time about the attack. The professor uses it as evidence that God must not exist. I wish I knew more so I could prove him wrong. For once I have little trouble staying awake in philosophy.

10:46 – I feel the relief that always accompanies the end of this class. I leave the building extra fast since I have things to do.

10:55 – I cross the street and walk into the bookstore. The local AM news station is on, and I pause when I hear that the Pentagon has also been hit. This is serious stuff…everyone knows you don't mess with the Pentagon. I forget my shopping for a moment to catch the rest of the story, and hear that more planes are unaccounted for and may have been hijacked.

11:12 – Shopping done and a hike completed, I arrive at the nearest computer lab. Despite the state of the country, my microbiology work has to get finished. I doubt if any classes will be cancelled.

11:26 – I have to pay to print out my work at the lab; I can’t do it at home because the assignment requires a program I don’t have. I wish I’d paid better attention when my TA was explaining how everything was supposed to be turned in. Luckily the handouts made it easy enough.

11:32AM – While I’m running around I make a quick stop at the University bookstore to buy a sweatshirt for my dad. I know that if I wait much longer I’ll forget, and my coupon will have expired.

12:07PM – I’m back in my room. For the first time in weeks I turn on the TV to watch the news. On my walk back every conversation that I overheard was about the attacks. Everyone knows by now, and everyone is shaken. For the first time I see a video clip of the plane crashing into the second tower, and they are playing live footage of the trade center billowing smoke.

12:30 – I change clothes and walk to the recreation center. I work at the machines for awhile, since I don’t have anyone to spot me on free weights. The AM news station is on in the gym, too. I pause between sets and ask the Lord to watch over my country. Using my ID card I get a granola bar, a slushie, and a cup of fruit on the way out. During the walk home I work on the slushie; the rest will be shoved in the fridge for later.

1:12 – I step back into my room to find the guys from next door watching TV with my roommate. I finish my drink and sit down to email my parents.

1:56 – After watching the news on TV and talking it over with some of the guys, I really have to leave for calculus. It takes four minutes to bike to class, but it takes about a minute to unlock my bike and another minute to chain it up when I get there.

1:58 – I think I biked the half-mile to calc, through all the foot traffic, in a little over a minute. Class is boring and mind-numbingly confusing as usual. The girl I sit by sometimes is not here.

2:52 –I have English in the same building as calculus, but not for another forty minutes. I leave and ride back to my room, rather than sit around outside. My neighbors are still glued to the TV. I'm thankful for my faith and the knowledge that God’s in charge and somehow, everything will be ok. I sit around and talk about the whole mess for a little while with the guys from my corridor.

3:20 – Time to get to English. I actually am prepared for this class. The professor, an elderly man, walks in red-eyed and says a few words to us about the attack. He talks about how this might result in a reduction of our personal freedoms. I don’t share his pessimism but then I’m young and not all that smart. He is serious and the idea is scary.

4:57 – Back from English. I'm glad classes are over but am not looking forward to a long night of homework. There's a huge reading assignment for microbiology, I still have to finish a lab assignment, and I've got a calc quiz tomorrow.

5:12 – I drag my books downstairs to the study room in the basement. It's usually much quieter, plus here I can't sit at my computer for hours talking to people online. Unfortunately there are a couple guys down here studying very loudly for a quiz on ionic compounds. I'm ticked at them for being noisy and at myself for not getting work done yesterday.

5:50 – I drop my books off in my room and leave for a campus-wide prayer vigil in response to the day's events. It starts only a few minutes late. The speakers are pretty good, and it's watered-down but uplifting. A huge number of people have gathered to pray for the nation’s well-being.

6:32 – I get back to the dorm, worn out from even more walking than usual.

6:47 – I call the girl from calculus to see how she's doing. She wasn't in class today and I know she’s from New York... her family is fine and she seems to appreciate the thought.

6:50 – I gather up my books again and go back to the basement. I really hate homework, and tonight I have lots of it.

7:49 – I start for my room to pick up a notebook to take to academic advising. A guy I run into on the way tells me it's been cancelled in favor of a meeting to help anyone hit especially hard by the attacks. Since I'm halfway upstairs anyway, I go to my computer and start typing my lab report.

8:30 – It’s time to watch President Bush’s address to the nation... he gives the best speech I've ever seen him give. I wonder how much of it he wrote. Regardless, his resolve is heartening and his delivery is great. Love that guy.

9:07 – I decide I've accomplished as much as I can hope to tonight. I sign in online and talk to one of my little sisters for awhile. She is upset about all the news. I put forth a futile effort to make her feel better.

9:45 – Time to get ready for bed, since I need to wake up early in the morning for homework.

10:23 PM – Somehow I always sit at the computer for way too long. For once I use my head and hit the hay when I realize what time it is. If I don’t get out of bed early tomorrow I will really have no time to finish my work.

The more I look over it, the more I realize a verbal snapshot of one day could never give a suitable impression of college life. After all, the scary part of graduating from high school is being on your own, fully in charge of where you go and what you do. If you’re sensible and mature enough to make decisions for yourself, college is nothing to be afraid of. Instead of worrying about all your new power, enjoy it – appreciate little things like the weather, free time, and making people laugh. Remember that you are loved, that daily problems don’t really matter, that God is there for guidance at every step.

It’s when you look at this world the wrong way that freedom really can become frightening. As rewarding as it is to make smart decisions, the consequences of bad ones can be severe. Stay out too late, and you might not have the energy to crawl out of bed in the morning. Sleep through too many classes, and you may find yourself getting kicked out.

I could go on, but you get the idea. College life is much less linear, less black and white than high school. It’s a lot different than sitting in classes for six hours, with breaks in between where your only options are shuffling to the next room or making a run for the parking lot. After high school much more time is yours to manage, but there are more responsibilities to handle within this time. Choose wisely.