There is something amazing about the East Coast: spring weather. Every native I’ve met has always confessed to me that spring and fall are what make this side of the country worth it. I'm from California and living on the East Coast has been a new experience.

I live in the southern part of our small campus, which is a beautiful, vibrant place to live. Outside my window is a view of Tempel Green, where lots of students lounge around to soak in the sun, converse with their friends, listen to music and more. For a more active experience, students play soccer, frisbee, lacrosse and croquet. When the sun is out, so are the people. The atmosphere is carefree, tranquil and happy. This one spring day, it was so beautiful that I decided not to punish myself by reamining indoors while the sun was shining. Like most people who have been sun-deprived during the long East Coast winter, any time the weather permits us to wear summery clothes, we are more than enthused. I had always seen people on Tempel Green and found it to be a great people-watching scene. I decided that I was done watching from the sidelines and wanted to actively be part of the larger scene.

I called up a friend of mine and asked her if she wanted to do homework on the green. She excitedly agreed and we met. When I called her, I reminded her that we would needed a towel of some sort; she brought with her a big comforter, which was perfect. She also brought her journal, in which she could document her creativity, and I brought a book to read for a class. Although we arrived on the green with good intentions of working hard, we hardly worked. In fact, it was one of those moments where it was almost inappropriate to do anything extremely productive. We lounged in the sun dispelling our worries of what ought to be done and instead relished the moments of sheer bliss.

College isn’t only about grades and class work. The key to being happy, I realized, is knowing when to separate your work time with your play time. That spring day called for me to just enjoy my community and my friends.