I think that it is necessary to provide a source of confidence in the legend of the Old Well.
When speaking about taking a sip from our school’s trademark source of water, studentso joke about its GPA healing powers. If we have a magical story about a magical well on our magical campus, the least that we can do is believe in that story.
It’s not a joke, people.
So, yes, I drank from the Old Well on the first day of class of my first semester of college. And yes, I am currently the proud owner of a 4.0 GPA.
As a hopeful first year, I really did believe that taking a sip of water would make me invincible in the classroom. (It may be relevant here to point out that I believed in Santa Claus until I was 13.) I stood in the line of students weaving through the brick pathways to the Old Well and I patiently waited to be blessed by the brain power that supposedly existed at the bottom of the well.
And it worked. I was invincible.
I am not writing to brag. I am writing to knock some sense into people. The Old Well exists for our benefit, do not belittle its powers.
Because there is a flip side to the story.
When the second FDOC of the year came around, I forgot to set my alarm. I was not able to get my precious sip of H2O until after class that day. I did not follow the rules of the legend.
And, let me tell you, I am no longer invincible. School is a little bit rougher than it used to be. I don’t want to doubt my ability to rally, but my 4.0 will likely be destroyed by the end of this year.
I failed to pay my respects to the Old Well and I am now paying the consequences. But I will learn from this. And I hope that you will too.
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