Last week something happened that reminds us all how dependent we are on the uncontrollable.
We don't generally appreciate things that disrupt our plans. We meticulously plan out our days from deciding when we are having lunch to determining where we want to study. This idea of a schedule, or a routine, is a good thing. It allows us to get into a rhythm and maximize our efficiency. It helps us make sure we know what to expect and that knowledge is comforting. But every now and again something that happens throws a wrench in the most well thought out plans.
On April 15, 2010, a volcano exploded in Iceland. While there's some irony that a place called Iceland would have a volcano filled with molten lava erupt, the effects of that volcanic eruption have been nothing to laugh about.
The volcano produced a massive ash cloud that moved over all of Europe, canceling virtually all air travel and costing airlines millions of dollars. Delta reportedly lost upwards of $20 million. Thousands of people had to choose whether to stick by their original plans and find temporary accommodations, find a way back home across land, or cancel their travels all together.
A volcano in Iceland did all of that? You better believe it.
As we move into the wonderful festivities of everyone's favorite week at Bowdoin, this truth becomes ever more relevant—and ever more terrifying. We're all excited for our cookouts and super soaker fights, the traditional outdoor concert filled with great music from some great bands, and everything else that Ivies week entails.
But don't shoot me for saying my enthusiasm is tempered by a lingering thought in the back of my head. We can book awesome bands, we can prepare awesome events, but we can't guarantee awesome weather.
That statement is enough to send chills down the spines of everyone who loves having fun in the sun and wants to celebrate our last few weeks on campus by, you know, actually enjoying the Bowdoin campus.
I'm not saying Ivies can't be successful if the weather isn't perfect. We're used to bad weather and we're generally pretty good about having fun in spite of it. We're Bowdoin students after all.
But knowing what Ivies was like last year ("glorious" is the first adjective that comes to mind) and knowing how important the amazing weather we had was to that week, I can't help but cross my fingers and pray Mother Nature has a soul.
I'm not normally superstitious, but do me a favor and try not to mention the words "good weather" and "Ivies" in the same sentence.
Wait, I definitely just did. Please Mother Nature, be kind!