Woodser

On Friday night, I hopped aboard a neon-lit bus along with dozens of my law school colleagues. We rode out of Tallahassee onto Interstate 10, heading east, our destination unknown to all but a few. After about 40 minutes, we took a turn south on a country road. Eventually, we arrived at a farm with horses and other pasture animals. A campfire was going, and a friendly German Shepherd greeted us as we jumped off the bus.

I had a little sympathy for the bus driver, as many of us were already feeling quite friendly by the time the bus stopped. The driver had to put up with numerous high-fives, slaps on the back and even a few hugs of thanks from students happy to be there.

It was a grand time.

Both years that I have been in law school, the Student Bar Association has put on a social called "Woodser" during the spring semester. It easily sells out the available spaces. "Party buses" load us up from the law school and haul us out to the middle of nowhere to enjoy beverages, S'mores, and marshmallows around a bonfire. Life really does not get much better than this- at least in my experiences thus far.

It took me a while to learn this lesson. I was too serious and rigid during my undergraduate years. But after graduation from college, time began to speed up. As I quickly got older, I realized that perhaps I had missed out on some things that I should have taken time to enjoy.

Going back to school has given me the opportunity to go back in time in some ways. Law school is serious and I am working very hard to succeed here, but when an opportunity like Woodser comes along, I now grab it.

The rush I experienced at Woodser was the same that I experienced on the first day of classes this semester. Many of the students were not too happy to be back, and I had to smile when some referred to this as a "grind" or "the real world" on their Facebook status. I spent most of the Christmas break here in Tallahassee practicing for a Mock Trial competition. The law school was an empty and lonely place then. But the atmosphere completely changed once the students came back. It charged the air, and I couldn't help but look at the faces in my Business Associations class on that first Monday morning and be happy.

But time continues to move so ridiculously fast. I am constantly aware of it, of how fleeting everything is. Law school is already halfway over, and it has been just a flash. So at Woodser, I took the time to enjoy the beverages and the warmth of the fire. I enjoyed looking up at the stars and picking out the constellations. I enjoyed the uninhibited laughter, jokes and other conversations of these unjaded students. I enjoyed flirting with the beautiful girls around this campfire, literally some of the most beautiful women in the world.

No matter how much money you make or power you acquire, it will be difficult to find more happiness than moments like this. I am lucky to be a student at Florida State Law, to be accepted as belonging around the campfire at Woodser. I am enjoying it while it lasts.

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I encourage Congress to keep working to pass the health care bill, and I ask for at least some Republican support. Most people are not as fortunate as us who are in law school and can go to socials like Woodser. Many face financial ruin and even death in the very near future because health insurance companies will not accept them for coverage. This is wrong. America must overcome its fear of change and take the steps necessary to give all of us the right to pursue a happy, healthy life. Again, in this country no one should die because they can not afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. The time for change is now.

Nathan Marshburn