Last Sunday, I ran my first official half marathon: the NYCRuns Brooklyn Half Marathon. The race went about as I expected — I ran a time I’m fairly proud of but also spent much of the last six miles squeezing a Clif bar like a stress ball and cursing my decision to ever lace up my running shoes.
To be honest, I assumed the race would trigger a meaningful reflection — one I could then mine for this Editor’s Note. That, however, didn’t wind up being the case. While I’m proud of myself, I don’t have anything new to say that hasn’t already been conveyed by every inspirational sports story ad nauseam. Instead, for the past few days, I’ve been mulling over seasonal asparagus, the tulips in Bryant Park and the Class of 2028.
A few days ago, I was skimming the New York Times Cooking newsletter, as I normally do, and was struck by a description of seasonal asparagus: “A reminder of the passage of time and the promise of spring.” Thinking about this “promise,” in turn, reminded me of the flowers that I saw this weekend in New York City. Hanover this spring has been far too drizzly for my liking. By contrast, the two days that I spent in New York were sunny and warm, with seemingly every tree and flower bed bursting into bloom.
I spent Sunday evening on the Dartmouth Coach back to Hanover. A few hours into the ride, the girl sitting next to me introduced herself as a committed ’28 from New York City traveling to Hanover for Dimensions. She began to ask me questions about Dartmouth, bubbling with excitement about the four years metaphorically “blooming” in front of her.
These anecdotes are an odd list of reflections, but all three reminded me of the magic of new beginnings. I’m almost done with my junior year — closer to the metaphorical winter of my time at Dartmouth than the spring — and at times, this year has left me feeling jaded. Unlike the ’28 I met, by the time school starts next fall, I won’t have my entire Dartmouth career unspooling before me, filled with hope and promise. In many ways, I’m thankful I don’t have to relive the turbulent uncertainty of my freshman fall. But there’s no denying that sometimes terms can feel monotonous, with each week passing in a blur of classes, extracurriculars and obligations.
With this in mind, I’ve come to realize that one of the reasons I was so excited to train for and race this half marathon was because it offered the promise of something new — a goal I could chase and an event I could eagerly anticipate. This weekend convinced me that I need more new beginnings in my life. As the spring flowers bloom and the sun returns to New England after a dreary winter, I’m hoping to channel this “promise of spring” in my own life. For the rest of the term, rather than allowing the weeks to merely pass me by until my third academic year ends, I want to embrace new opportunities. Who knows? Maybe my next “new beginning” will be training for a full marathon.
This week in Mirror, our writers spotlight unique opportunities on campus, including creative writing extracurriculars and GOVT 83.21, “Experiments in Politics.” One writer investigates student reactions to the planned renovation of the Fayerweather residence halls, while another reflects on keeping in touch digitally while at Dartmouth. Finally, one writer talks to students about the movies and TV shows that fill us with nostalgia.
As we begin a new month, I hope that my seemingly random anecdotes inspire you to start anew — jump in the river for the first time this term, try out a new club or finally get a meal with that person you keep seeing around campus. And if you’ve never read the Mirror before, maybe your “new beginning” can be cracking open our latest issue.
