Acclimating

There is something both torturous and insanely gratifying about copy editing with an exhausted brain and fingers stained with ink. Purple ink.

The newsroom on campus is winding down for the night. All of our regular staff members have gone home, nowhere near brave enough to work into the wee hours. Only the editorial board, about ten of us, are still here; we'll stay here until the paper is done. The first issue will be printed in time for tomorrow morning, and every single page passes my desk for approval before the final draft is sent out. My advisor tells me I have the good mentality for a copy editor with the hours I keep (this morning's bedtime was 4:30 a.m.)

No pressure. Deep breath. The only things keeping me awake and sane through this process are caffeine, adrenaline and of course, grace.

It's a tedious job, but I love it. Really, I'm loving this whole year already. The atmosphere is almost tangibly different from last year. My roommates are friendly, sociable, and not wild partiers. There has been no anonymous vomit on my living room carpet as of yet. Then again, anything better than that is a huge step up.

We've been excited by the addition of several new freshman to Newman. This includes not one, but two pianists at around the same level of experience as me, and one girl who's cantored for three years. I asked God for help with the music ministry, and once again, He's provided.

The editors at the school paper aren't always my kind of people, but I've been doing this long enough to learn how to bite my tongue and act with charity. This year is definitely shaping up to be a lesson in patience and humility, which is good ... I need lots of both if I have any hope of surviving in this field.

More than ever, being on campus feels like being at home. My out of shape calves are readjusting to walking everywhere after a summer behind a desk, I've been going out more than I could have ever anticipated, and am doing my best to take every opportunity that is sent my way.

Now and then, I remember that when May comes, I have to go home for good. I have to leave my second family behind. I have to ... be an adult.

That's the future threatening to rear its ugly head on me. But I'm prepared now. I know where my hope is, and besides, the only thing I can control is today.

On that note, back to work. I have some ideas brewing for future posts, it's just a matter of finding the time to sit down and do it.