The Rocket

Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Opinion

Finally, it's over. After five years of hard work and juggling two majors with extracurricular activities, I will get to walk across the stage this May.

Now, most Rocket seniors get all reflective when they write their goodbye columns, citing all the wonderful experiences they've had and friends they've made. But while those things are great, when I think back on my undergraduate years, friends and accomplishments aren't what stick out in my mind.

Instead, I think about the occurrences that made up my everyday life.

Besides learning how to be a competent journalist and conservationist, I became master of many small, insignificant, menial tasks. For example, my house did not come equipped with an oven, and so I became a master of the skillet meal. In so doing, I have learned to make a mean omelet. Certainly, there's something to be said for that.

Or gardening. Seriously, how many college students do you know who grow and harvest their own vegetables? Granted, my gardens weren't always as bountiful as they could have been, but I managed to grow my own veggies with some success. If it hadn't been for the army of groundhogs surrounding my house-and snacking on my garden-I may have had better luck. But, those groundhogs taught me a basic lesson in problem solving: sometimes the simplest solution is most effective. In other words, I learned to just shoot the darn things.

My basement provided another source of at-home education. It is constantly damp, and when the sump pump just decided to stop working during the heaviest downpour of the season, I learned the value of having a good set of rubber boots on hand. I also learned the value of having a good dad to help replace the pump.

Since then, I've had no problems with flooding, but somehow my basement has become an ecosystem in and of itself. So far I've found a frog and, oddly enough, a crayfish down there. I like to call it my miniature biology experiment.

Finally, I can't complete my college experience without a fond mention of my birdfeeder. I've gotten so much enjoyment out of spying on the little birds that would visit my humble abode each day. In fact, that birdfeeder helped me teach myself the different species of backyard birds, as well as their various songs.

It also taught me about squirrels, and the great lengths to which they will go to get that last kernel of corn or sunflower seed. The squirrels offered me some lessons in perseverance, but not as many, perhaps, as the raccoons did. It seemed like no matter what I did, the raccoons managed to raid my birdfeeder nightly.

Again, I remembered the lesson in problem solving: simple solutions are best. Apparently, the raccoons couldn't outsmart a feeder pole that was covered in petroleum jelly.

The point of this column, though, is not to merely recount my daily battles with Nature's creatures. Life is a never-ending process of trial-and-error. Because I was brave enough to try new things on my own, I was forced to deal with the problems that arose in the midst of my experiments.

Since I was restricted to cooking only on my stovetop, I learned to specialize in cooking skillet meals. When my vegetables didn't grow, I had to reassess my gardening practices.

When my basement flooded, I learned the value of being prepared for the worst possible situation. And when raccoons were stealing my bird feed, I learned that sometimes the simplest of solutions are the only ones that work.

My time in college is done, but many of you are still working for your diploma. Just remember that sometimes the most important lessons you will learn in life don't come from the classroom.

Jen Meyer is a senior communication major and a copy editor for The Rocket.

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