Pretty solid advice there. Yet in addition to accepting the immutable, it's beneficial to sometimes try to alter your view of the situation. Not saying I am a raging optimist by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, everyone has days where their mug of citrus green tea looks just under half-empty. But hey, it's worth a shot.
Let's take a look at my living quarters, for example. Room enough for a mini-fridge and a yoga mat. I love to cook and feel i have space to downward dog, so this presented one of those darn unchangeable problems (unless, of course, I suggest to housing that we knock out one of my walls.) So for the first day, in dramatic fashion, I sat on my bed and contemplated my life... cue my thinking music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00XKtROddc...
And then it came to me. Every college kid goes through this, as indicated by the infamous freshman fifteen. In an ongoing study conducted at Cornell University, it was found that, on average, new students gain four pounds in their first semester. Granted, four pounds isn't traumatic in itself, but the pattern of behaviors developed in new college students is more disturbing. Without the convenience and luxury of home-cooked meals, freshmen are thrust into a world of highly-processed snacks, fast-food runs, and questionable cafeteria meals.
So to relate back to Seneca's words of wisdom, and not to sound cliché, but I vow to use this experience to learn how to better provide for my body, all be it with more limited space and resources. I believe all people are not only students, but teachers, and I hope to pass along some useful findings. And feel free to comment with your useful findings below.
