Just Do It

By: Dallas Carter

 

Just. Do. It. Three simple words which on their own don’t mean much, but together can be inspirational or meme-worthy. From Nike’s famous logo to Shia LaBeouf's hilarious and viral inspirational speaking video, the phrase “just do it,” is quite well-known. But what does it mean exactly?

In Harlaxton I find myself using the phrase often. Sometimes out loud to my friends when I say “Let’s just do it,” in regards to booking a trip or exploring something interesting in a new city. Other times I repeat it to myself. When I’m feeling anxious or stressful about a situation or maybe lazy about doing homework. “Just do it” can act as a strong motivator.

I often get stuck in my head–especially at Harlaxton–because I’ve had to partake in more thinking and planning logistics than ever before. It can quickly become overwhelming and hard to pull the trigger on plans, bookings, or even studying instead of going down to The Bistro (most often vice versa).

What I’ve discovered is you have to take a deep breath and just do it! I’ve said “yes” to attending a spontaneous concert in Nottingham on a Tuesday evening, entering a slightly off-putting alleyway in Budapest for shopping and even ending up covered in snow from head to toe while attempting to sled down the gardens with my winter jacket. None of these events are record-breaking or necessarily “wild,” but they are small experiences that are defining my time here at Harlaxton. Had I not just done it, just said yes and opened myself up to something new, I would not have had the same experiences abroad and I would not end up learning the lessons about myself and the world.

 

So while you should be cautious and follow your budget, you should also just do it! Step out of your comfort zone! Don’t be afraid of straying off the beaten path! Say yes to an unplanned event and in doing so you will make unforgettable memories that lead to a completely unique Harlaxton experience.
 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Beast From the East

By: Bryson Keltner, current Harlaxton College Media Intern

“People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time.” -The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe 

Last week, a rare snowstorm from Russia jetted southwest. “The Beast from the East,” as it was called, left countries in Western Europe in an unfamiliar state: frozen.

The canals in Amsterdam became mazes for ice skaters. Rome was a different planet—its ancient ruins creeping out from a white slush. London stood still, yet somehow, it was also chaos.
And then there was the much smaller scale—a manor house full of Americans that stood just outside a town in Lincolnshire.

For locals who know nothing of snow, The Beast was a foreigner who crept up on them and did its worst. Driving cars—for them—was like driving for the first time.

For the students at Harlaxton, The Beast was a parent telling them they couldn’t go out. I watched as every mode of transportation slowly lost its breath, taking the students’ weekend travel plans down with them. Some students managed to get out before every plane, train, and car to London halted, but for most Harlaxton students, the money, time, and energy they put into their trips disintegrated. They were “stuck” in our castle for the weekend.

But for me, The Beast brought me to a place where beauty is an injustice. I was on duty for the weekend, so I didn’t plan on leaving the manor even before the snow. I let myself feel the magic around me. The manor became some sort of a movie set or a poem’s title. The place I get to call home for a while somehow became even more breathtaking. I was in Narnia.

You’ve seen The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. You recall the world that stood frozen in the most aesthetically-pleasing way imaginable. That was Harlaxton Manor for an entire week. Every day, the snow would start to melt, but every night, new powder would fall, leaving my home pristine every morning.

I stood speechless marveling at the building’s presence draped in white. It was art.

But I had a job to do in Narnia. After all, I was on duty. I was in charge if things went wrong, and for most Harlaxton students, their weekends started off very wrong. So I sprang into action.


I went to my computer and made a quick graphic—an itinerary. In it, I planned a weekend full of fun—the kind of fun you’d have if you were a kid at home from school on a snow day. I planned movie-viewing parties. Board game events. A hide-and-seek tournament. Coloring page meet-ups. And a necessary old-fashioned snowball fight.

I built it, and they came. They loved it, and I loved it. I watched as they became children again, and as they played their games and watched their movies, they began to appreciate the chilly beauty outside too. For a weekend, we were not world-traveling adults with responsibilities and cancelled plans. We were kids playing in the snow. We just happened to be in a castle.

Everything was perfect… well except one girl tried to test the frozen pond on the manor grounds and fell through. And one guy spilled hot cocoa all over someone’s homework. And a student slipped and fell on me during the snowball fight and sprained my ankle which caused me to hobble around for the whole weekend.

But alas, it was perfect.

What started out as the worst weekend at Harlaxton became one of the best. And as the snow melted and the next week began, we watched our wonderland fade, but we were thankful for wiggling through the wardrobe to Narnia.