Almost every day around twelve, you can usually find me sitting down near the window in the Harrington Commons trying to get some work done before my next class. It’s a calm environment for me, as well as a place where I know only a few people will hang around. The other thing about it is when there are only a few people around, you can hear them almost perfectly, making it an optimal environment to listen in on some conversations and to observe what people are up to. Obviously, nobody’s trying to be nosey or to invade anyone’s privacy, but within a close distance, you sometimes can’t help but hear or watch what people are talking about and how they are acting. Most people are glued to their technology at all times, but I happened to be around an unusually busy day in the Harrington Commons, where I was able to hear and see some very interesting interactions. The first interaction I heard was between three males talking about Coronavirus, and how one of them had seen that a man “supposedly’ cured himself by drinking hot whiskey. They went on to say that one of them should acquire the disease, solely for the purpose of trying out this home remedy. I will admit, it was not the smartest idea I’ve ever heard. Soon after, I heard the rumbling wheels of a skateboard coming across the bricks outside the commons. I look up to see a kickflip gone wrong, and a student spilling out onto the ground. “That’s 3,” I said, signifying that he was the third guy I’ve seen wipe out on a skateboard this semester. The best conversation I heard while I was there though, was from two engineering students. One seemed to be an upperclassman, while another was a freshman or sophomore. I was lucky enough to hear this guy’s short story about being an engineering student, where he talked about having to work on sets of calculus for hours on end and described sleepless nights and all the feelings of hopelessness and frustration he endured. In the end, he described how all those trials and tribulations prepared him for the work ahead. This conversation made me realize no matter how hard you’re working, there’s always someone working just as hard if not harder. I questioned my own work ethic and it inspired me to do more in my life.