Shawn Safvi | Learning to live a little

It was some time at the beginning of last December when I was officially done with my duties as executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. We had just elected a new board, and although there were some loose ends to tie up, the finish line was all but here.

When considering my newfound freedom, the first thing I vowed to do was to avoid hanging around the DP trying to relive my glory days.

I cringed at the thought of me roaming the newsroom unshaven, shouting obscenities at frightened young reporters who wondered why I hadn't moved on to more fruitful endeavors.

Instead, I set out on a mission to try to enjoy college, whatever that means.

I should point out that when you've worked at the DP for three-and-a-half years, you gain a very romanticized view of how the other half lives. Sitting in a windowless office night after night, it's easy to lose touch with reality.

So upon busting out of 4015 Walnut St. for the last time, I took to the streets like a liberated man, vowing to do this college thing right.

It didn't take long before my days consisted of eating cold pizza and watching Independence Day (between HBO and USA, this movie is always on).

To be fair, during this time, I probably had more in common with a pregnant woman in her second trimester than a college student. While my roommate was being an upstanding young citizen, attending class and generally being a good human being, I spent my time staring at the TV - waiting to see Will Smith save the world one more time.

I even made a triumphant return to my fraternity. After a two-year leave of absence, I decided to see what I was missing. Like any good frat boy, I went to parties and pumped my fist in the air while listening to "Don't Stop Believing."

I also made awkward conversation with girls who didn't understand that more is not necessarily better when it comes to make-up.

And a month ago, I finally went on a true spring break trip. For the first three years of college, while everyone went off to exotic locations and returned to campus tanned, I returned home to North Carolina, where I would stake out at my favorite fried-chicken joint and tell myself that this was better than Cancun.

Back at school, when I would field the inevitable "How was your spring break?" I would unconvincingly respond, "It was good, I had a lot of fun."

This year, though, after a five-day cruise in the Bahamas, I didn't have to suffer this indignity.

One look at my tan, and it was clear: "My spring break was fantastic."

So at this point, you might be thinking to yourself, "Where's the catch?" If you're expecting me to provide you with some wonderful epiphany about how I missed my time at the DP and how my days of shallow debauchery were incredibly unfulfilling, well then, I'm sorry.

Let me reassure you that I wouldn't trade my experience at the DP for anything in the world, but there is also something to be said for just taking it easy and having a good time.

While some people learn this during NSO, I learned it during the second semester of senior year.

The fact of the matter is, though, that even if something isn't necessarily productive in the conventional sense, it doesn't make it a worthless endeavor.

So as we pursue our different careers and go forth in life, it's important to stop and take a breath every now and then.

After all, Independence Day is always just a click way.

Shawn Safvi is a Wharton senior from Chapel Hill, N.C., and former Executive Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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