Now that I'm living off Grounds, I have experienced a lot of what I like to call "adventures" with parallel parking. As anyone who has tried to park basically anywhere within a five-mile radius of the University can tell you, it's not easy. The streets behind the Corner especially are an obstacle course of yellow lines, permit-only zones and seemingly randomly placed "no parking anytime" signs, which I am pretty sure the city moves around just for fun.
So when you have a car full of groceries and passengers that are on a tight schedule, finding a spot can be more than a little stressful. Add this to the fact that although patience might be a virtue, it is certainly not one of mine. Putting along in my station wagon with ice cream melting in the back seat, I can get pretty anxious.
But it never fails just when I become the most desperate and start internally calculating how much a University parking garage would cost me for a night that I find a spot. It's not always a perfect spot - it might be a few blocks away from my apartment or I might end up sandwiched between two SUVs with only a millimeter to spare in front of and behind each bumper - but nevertheless, it is a spot.
Working through midterms during the week following reading days, I've found a very similar pattern of pressure and release. Spending hours studying and outlining papers reminds me of circling the block, an endless repetition until it finally sinks in. Meanwhile, all of the regular homework I am supposed to be keeping up with is just melting in the backseat of my mind. I'm stranded in just the same way I am when I can't find a place to leave my car.
My anxiety builds up and I am tempted to just quit worrying about it all. But as much as I want to sometimes, I can never give up and leave the family truckster in the middle of the street, just as I can never simply give up worrying about exams because I have other pressing issues that need to be taken care of. That kind of thoughtlessness will lead to a lot of parking tickets in life.
But what do I do when it's crunch time? When I can't ignore my other obligations anymore and I have to stop studying? The same thing that I do when I realize that I absolutely have to park the car or there's going to be a puddle of Mint Chocolate Chip in my backseat - I just park it.
At some point, studying just has to stop. Like circling the block, if you do it too much, you're simply just wasting time and gas. You may not be as prepared as you would like, but you are still better off than if just let yourself continue to stress about being perfectly prepared for every potential question that might be on your midterm.
To date, whenever I've resolved that I have to stop driving and park, I have never yet - knock on wood - had to admit total failure and pay to park in a garage somewhere. I may have to take those less desirable spots a few blocks away or give a telephone pole a little love tap as I squeeze into a spot on the street, but it eventually all works out.
The same principal is true for exams. Realizing that point when it is useless to continue studying is important. Even if you don't get that perfect grade you wanted, you'll still be better off stopping to park your brain somewhere instead of aimlessly driving in circles.
Katie's column runs weekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.
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