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Nutrition Sciences Major: ӰԭCollege, in a Way, is a Permission SlipӰԭ

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 revisits the permission slip, something she remembers from childhood, and applies it, as well as the lessons it can offer, to life as a college student.

September 12, 2023

By Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26

Beatrice Glaviano
Beatrice GlavianoӰԭs view from the laboratory this week.

IӰԭve started to realize a couple of things over the past week:

  1. Staying up past 11 p.m. is a horrible idea
  2. Drinking three coffees a day is also a horrible idea
  3. I am such a nerd (though thatӰԭs been established for years)

But something IӰԭve really been thinking about so happens to come from childhood: permission slips. YӰԭknow, that flimsy piece of paper your first-grade teacher gave to you so that you could go to the aquarium or the zoo or some other fun place? Those things. I donӰԭt know if anyone else agrees with me on this, but permission slips Ӱԭ similar to being invited to a birthday party Ӱԭ were a determinant of oneӰԭs status symbol in elementary school. If you didnӰԭt turn yours in, you were immediately ӰԭweirdӰԭ because who wouldnӰԭt want to go to the zoo? Certainly not some ӰԭnormalӰԭ child.

[Author laughs in the background at the concept of Ӱԭnormal.Ӱԭ]

Whatever the case, I imagine that the vast majority of us remember the feeling of walking up to your parents Ӱԭ being no higher than their waist and a little nervous, perhaps Ӱԭ and holding up that slip, asking, ӰԭCan I go?Ӱԭ Obviously, I donӰԭt know anyoneӰԭs situation, but from what I gathered, most said Ӱԭyes.Ӱԭ And in about a day or two you were face-to-face with a Bengal tiger or a penguin Ӱԭ with ketchup smeared on your face. In other words, permission slips had the ability to turn your life around for a day. They were magical: a real-life version of a Willy Wonka ticket that took you away from what you knew so well and brought you somewhere where there was only fun to be had.

But looking back, there was also some anxiety that tagged along with it.

ӰԭFunӰԭ meant friends in elementary school, and you couldnӰԭt have one without the other. At the time, while I did have acquaintances at the very least, most times I could be found reading the The Magic Treehouse series or some off-brand Star Wars book that I found on the shelf instead of socializing. One time in particular, I asked one of the girls in my class who her favorite princess was in an attempt to start a conversation.

ӰԭI donӰԭt have one,Ӱԭ she said blankly.

Perhaps it was because of my nerdiness or my inherent shyness that I didnӰԭt seem the type to want to socialize, but nonetheless, I often found myself at a loss when it came to friendships. Growing up, I found out that IӰԭm pretty fearless when it comes to showing people who I am Ӱԭ especially now that IӰԭm in college. At this point, I think that if I am my truest self at all times, those who want to interact with me will do so because they genuinely want to. And if they donӰԭt want to, IӰԭm not going to force them.

Character development, am I right?

"We make decisions every single day of our lives that require the permission of only ourselves, and itӰԭs up to us in that situation to be our own parent."Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26

Anyhow, back to the permission slips. At this point, given our age and (assumed) maturity, we no longer need our parents or guardians to sign our little slips of paper. This is something that we each do almost on an everyday basis. I give myself a permission slip to take an Uber, or even go to a local trail like East Rock Park. We make decisions every single day of our lives that require the permission of only ourselves, and itӰԭs up to us in that situation to be our own parent. What I mean by this is that we donӰԭt always want to make the ӰԭbetterӰԭ choice. I imagine that most people would prefer to hang out with their friends than study their chemistry lecture notes from the day before, which is perfectly alright...to a certain point.

Sometimes, you gotta really just force it. At this point, youӰԭre the one in charge of your life. You determine the classes that you show up to, the work ethic you give, how hard you work, the quality of your work, and so on and so forth. Sometimes, you really need to be the annoying parent to yourself. Nag yourself to do your chores. Set multiple alarms. Study with your phone across the room and turn the ringer off.

College, in a way, is a permission slip. ItӰԭs an adventure that you voluntarily sign up for; a quest for knowledge that you want to ascertain through trial and tribulation. And who knows? Perhaps youӰԭll meet some other cool characters or things along the way that may aid you in your efforts. Other times, maybe youӰԭll need to fight a dragon:

Me, holding a molecule kit overhead: ӰԭItӰԭs over, organic chemistry. I have the high ground!Ӱԭ

Organic chemistry, wielding four carbon bonds: ӰԭYou underestimate my power!"

In other words, there will be challenges that will come your way, and the way Ӱԭ the attitude Ӱԭ you decide to approach them will determine how you feel after defeating them or being defeated. ItӰԭs all rather interesting, really. At times, the sword will be knocked out of your hands, but what good is a sword if you donӰԭt try to use it?

Before I end up making this all about D&D, the point that IӰԭm trying to get across is that you bear responsibility now. You are the one signing your permission slips and handing them in Ӱԭ like student debt Ӱԭ and itӰԭs up to you to follow through with your agreement to that. In college, I believe the biggest promise that anyone has made to themselves is their success.

YouӰԭre not here spending this much time or money for hoo-has; youӰԭre here to learn about something that you find endlessly interesting and worth fighting for. With this, you will find so many things within your area of curiosity without even meaning to. For example, who thought IӰԭd manage to connect nutritional sciences to marine pollution? ItӰԭs a little far-fetched, right? You owe yourself the permission to grow, to be yourself, and to just genuinely enjoy the period of life that youӰԭre currently in because college isnӰԭt supposed to make your life miserable.

Well, mostly. Sometimes it will just be that way, but things will get better in time.

I used to always be in this phase of ӰԭOnce IӰԭm [random dumb societal standard here], then IӰԭll be happyӰԭ Ӱԭ you can imagine that this way of thinking wasnӰԭt the best. For the most part, it was targeted at my body; IӰԭd promise myself that once I looked a certain way or weighed a certain amount that IӰԭd be happy, and I could live my life. Incorrect.

Instead, I watched my life (and health) go out the window, and I came to terms with something IӰԭve been fighting for a while: I may never have the perfect body. Honestly, I probably wonӰԭt, and to this day it scares me a little. But this body, this body that has survived chronic illness and triumphed over broken bones and broken spirit has to be worth something. Because of this, I have given myself permission to live it to the fullest because how horrible would it be if I deprive this body of its chance to live, change, and grow. Granted, itӰԭs still a work in progress, but weӰԭre all working on it.

After you read this entry, dear reader, IӰԭd like for you to brainstorm a little. Where do you lack permission in your life? Where do you take it for granted? What parts of your life or yourself would you like to give permission to? What would happen if you did? How would it feel?

I hope everyone has had a lovely second week of back to school, and that things are going your way. Again, if anyone would like to reach out with any questions, comments, or blog ideas, feel free to contact me at bglav1@unh.newhaven.edu or my personal email, beatriceg2022@gmail.com. Take care everyone, and IӰԭll see you in the next entry.

Peace, love, and lots of peanut butter,
Beatrice

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.

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