Open the door to my closet, and you may very well get attacked by shoes. Housed on an upper shelf, boots, sneakers, sandals and flats teeter precariously. Tucked away, however, in a crisp, white box, is a unique pair – one that won’t touch the sidewalk of the Corner or the storied brick paths of Grounds — my organ shoes.
I did not enter my first year at the University with the intent to become a church organist. I had played piano my entire life, so when I arrived on Grounds, I auditioned for private lessons and got matched with a professor who just so happened to play the organ on the side. After three semesters of piano lessons, in which my dear teacher repeatedly referenced her love for the pipe instrument, I took a leap and decided to embark on a college side quest.
To be entirely honest, my choice to play the organ doesn’t make much sense in the context of my classes or career aspirations. The organ is not a part of my five-year plan, nor is playing the instrument a side hustle subsidizing the costs of being a University student. The likelihood of a life performing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at Wrigley Field or “Canon in D” as couples walk down the aisle is low. Frankly, I’m not particularly good at the organ either — I stumble over the foot pedals and struggle to separate the varied rhythms vying for my limited number of fingers.
My middling organ talent ties into my general sense of being a bit of a jack of all trades, heavy on the “master of none.” Rather than a linear path of pre-professional activities, my resume is a haphazard jumble of side quests — most of which I do not particularly excel at. The organ is an extension of this, an attempt to slot a love of music into my random and dispersed interests.
Despite its uselessness as a bullet point on my LinkedIn, when I slip my feet into my organ shoes — classic Mary Janes with a suede bottom and low heel situated for reaching notes on the pedal keyboard — and practice the simplest of songs, I feel a sense of peace. I need not think about my course load, club meetings or that essay I have yet to write. Instead, I simply need to work on rhythms and notes, to count beats and press keys.
This, I believe, is the value of the college side quest. The unplanned adventure that takes you away from the pressures and fears baked into University life, the passion with no relation to career or academic goals that inspires growth in a way that economics courses and business fraternities fail to do.
The organ lets me detach myself from the rat race of daily University life, but it also lets me expand my horizons in a new way. When I play, I learn — about tempos and chords, sure, but also about myself, the emotions and ambitions that drive me to painstakingly carve out time in my schedule to sit at the keyboard and practice.
The college side quest does not need to be the multi-semester jaunt that my organ adventure has become, and it certainly doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to align with your major, or your future career. It definitely does not have to check a box on your five year plan. Rather, the art of the college side quest is its randomness. In a land of opportunity as vast and varied as the University, the college side quest can be as simple as saying “yes” to that club meeting, or stopping by that absurd-sounding event. The college side quest is a mindset, a willingness to embrace the unexpected, to gain a new hobby at best, and a fun story at worst.
College is a fleeting few years of freedom, an expected time to do the unexpected. There is no rulebook, no strict plan, no requirement that you complete steps A, B and C. Sure, in a place where every student clutches an impressive resume and a plethora of accolades, the side quest can feel unnecessary, like a waste of time that could be spent honing a marketable skill. However, these few years are uniquely situated for randomness — the endless fields of opportunity combined with newfound freedom make the University the ideal place for a detour from daily life. There is no better time to try — and maybe even fail — at something new.
In just a few short years, you will no longer be surrounded by the acclaimed organ professors, free concerts or exciting events the University has to offer. The least you can do is take the leap and embark on a college side quest — and hey, you might even get a new pair of shoes out of it.
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