Walking into the Pendulum office this morning, I realized what the phrase “hot off the press” really means. And in this case, I have determined that it’s something similar to “fresh out of the oven.” As soon as I swiped myself into the office, I could smell the fresh newsprint wafting off the stacks of papers lying by the door.
This past semester, the printer we use has been tying the stacks with thicker plastic rope, but these fresh smelling stacks were tied with my favorite string: the string that reminds me of last spring, my favorite semester with the Pendulum. It was the semester I was News Editor, the semester before I became Summer Editor-in-Chief, the semester before my life went through its next epic phase.
Last summer was my first summer alone. Living alone. Working. Cooking. Pendulum-ing.
The fall was spent in London and challenged me in all new ways. I missed Elon. I missed my friends. I missed the Pendulum. I missed out on covering Sarah Palin’s visit, covering the election, seeing “Sweeney Todd.” I missed the Luminaries, homecoming and soaking in autumn Elon. I missed out on opportunities that I may not have if I had been home. But everything happens for a reason so I need to be OK with all of that.
This spring brought me my hardest semester of classes yet. The Pendulum brought on a challenge in creating a new online and multimedia facet. I turned 21 and really felt the shift after attending the Turning 21 Dinner, an Elon tradition that Chaplain McBride created years ago. It was his final Turning 21 Dinner and he was the guest speaker – it was the most perfect time to turn 21. And what he had to say sparked the shift for me – I realized what turning 21 really means. His words have sprung up in my mind every day since.
After flipping through one of the commencement editions now patiently waiting in the office to be distributed in the morning, I stopped to read only one story. Alyse Knorr wrote a “then and now” piece that made me want to cry. If I had to pick one senior who has had the greatest impact on me, it would be Alyse: my first and favorite editor. Reading what she had to say about her four years at Elon has made me think about my three years here – the change I have experienced and the opportunities I have been given. Alyse was right – the change we have experienced at Elon during our time here is only the beginning of decades of change and opportunities we have yet to experience.
Elon has certainly prepared us for that change and growth, but for now, I’m happy just being me and just being here. A junior. 21. A Pendulum editor. A person who is in love with school and all the experiences and memories that it brings each day. I’m happy to just sit here and smell the fresh newsprint. Because who knows how long newspapers will really be around. We should take time to relish the smell now so we remember its glory tomorrow and always.
