On a small shelf in the corner of my dorm room vanity area sits a small, unassuming wooden box labeled “Gathered Truths”. It’s been there since the day I moved into my dorm, and it’ll sit there until the day I leave. If you remove the lid, you’ll find a collection of index cards with different advice, quotes, graphics, and reminders that are all tied together in that they are words that are true and will continue to remain true regardless of where I go in life. Some examples of cards in the box include “Productivity ≠ self-worth” and “vulnerability means sharing your story with those who have earned the right to hear it”. Before leaving for Penn State this past August, I made two of these boxes (pictured below). One was for me, and one I gave to my best friend before she left for Johns Hopkins University. When I gave it to her, we both agreed that wherever we go in life, whenever we add a new card to our box, we will send it to the other so that we always have the same Gathered Truths to guide us in life. I miss her every day, especially lately, but whenever I pick a new card out of my box to display on my desk for the week, I’m reminded that although we may be geographically farther apart than we’d like to be, the lessons we have learned, the values we hold important, and the connection we have shared over the past decade will always be stronger than the distance that separates us.

This week, like many of you are probably experiencing as the third set of midterms approaches us, I’ve been overwhelmed with assignments and exams for each of my classes. I’ve spent much of my time over the past two weeks in Pattee and Paterno, inhabiting quiet spaces in my dorm building (my favorite of which is a large, comfortable windowsill on the fifth floor), and sitting at my desk working on various projects and papers. Life has felt pretty repetitive and relentless, and besides questioning for perhaps the millionth time why I’m here, I’ve really been missing the people who feel like home.

But this week, I pulled a card from my box of Gathered Truths with the following poem on it:

Thanks to online tuition payments and campus dining, though I can’t relate to paying any overdue bills or shopping for produce, when I read this poem again, I was reminded that self-care comes in many different forms. I’ve never exactly been one for bubble baths or Bath and Body Works, but I have always been one to find nature to be my best de-stressor.

So, I’ve been embracing the beautiful weather while it lasts and doing as much of my work outside as possible. It’s not particularly revolutionary or unique, but it’s helped me stay mindful of my own emotional and mental state this week. In fact, I’m writing this sitting in the children’s area of the Arboretum, and surrounded by a large-scale caterpillar, an army of mushrooms, and an aura of childlike wonder, I’d like to think I am taking care of myself pretty well.