Eleanor O’Hagan
Columnist
As the leaves fall and the days get cloudier, I can’t help but want to slow down and enjoy the season. Maybe this desire is because all my classes are in a complete whirlwind right now, and things in life are blowing all over the place, but its more than wanting to escape my busy life.
This semester, I am lucky to not only be writing my thesis on Tolkien but also to be taking a class dedicated entirely to his works, world and myths. While Tolkien’s works and other similar stories are great pieces of literature to escape in, finding comfort in a different world, seeing them as plain escapism would be unjust.
Why is it that the fantastic world of elves and hobbits can only exist on the pages or in our minds? Shouldn’t we be practicing these moments of contemplation and wonder in our daily lives?
When was the last time you’ve lain under a tree and let its bright leaves fall on you as you mused over how the sun pours through its branches? Probably recently, since Steubenville has entered the season of gray skies. But still, when did you last slow down and take in the wonders of this world God has given us?
Put down the phone, get off social media, let the homework and thesis research lie scattered and unattended just for a moment. Remember being a kid and how excited you would get for changes in the seasons, the shapes clouds took and what secret worlds lay around each corner.
As the schoolwork piles up and classes seem to whiz by like a runaway bulldozer, try to take a moment to pause. As someone who struggles to see the world outside the bubble of chaos around me, I know how easy it can be to forget the bigger picture. But in moments of escaping and actually taking in the world around me, things become less chaotic.
So, as the hope of cool Autumn weather hangs in the air and all the leaves grow brighter, I challenge you, dear reader, to look like a fool and let your inner child have some fun, escaping into the wonder of the world.
Jump in a leaf pile if you find one, eat tasty Fall treats, watch that one ‘spooky’ Disney episode that was soooo scary when you were a kid. Because all of the worrying and trying to succeed in school and life is not worth it if you’re not enjoying it.