The Return of the Fair Weather Friend
After taking a five–month leave of absence, the sun has decided to make a full return and grace the Syracuse campus with its presence for the last few days of the semester. Students are reminded that the ground is green and suitable for lounging, and that it’s okay to smile instead of grunt at a familiar face. Groups are seen strolling the promenade, not just huddling for warmth when the distance between Bird and Schine gets too real. The switch from a heavy Canada Goose to a light Patagonia or jean jacket allows for arms to flow more freely, and students wave at each other in passing. Temperatures rise while students’ GPA’s and class attendance start to dip as the weather realigns their values.
Happiness spreads throughout campus faster than #fluszn, and Syracuse’s 14,000 student population actually seems realistic. And any day now, you’ll look into that crowd laying on the Quad or dartying at Castle, and wonder if you should tell Bruce Willis you see dead people as you spot that friend who dropped off the face of the earth once temperatures dropped below 50. You might be surprised be the people who put their Netflix binges on hold to come out of hibernation and rejoin human civilization. Warm days in April bring out our Fair Weather Friends.
Like a grizzly bear, the Fair Weather Friend comes from a breed that adapts to winter months by sleeping through it. When FWF’s emerge in the spring, society often confuses their presence as some kind of realigning of the stars. From limited participation in physical activity, social interaction, and hygienic care, to extending #NoShaveNovember into #NoShaveNovemberThruMarch, the FWF that has recently emerged may not be the same person you remember last seen at football tailgates.
Give him or her time to adjust by letting this person smell their own stench, feel the breeze through their braidable leg hair or beard, and allot an appropriate amount of time for the sun to melt the ice away that has frozen over their heart before you start making comments like, “Wow, you look so comfortable today…” or forcibly throwing them into the shower.
FWF’s are usually lured out of hiding one way or another, whether it’s through hearing Dave Matthews Band playlists blaring from frat porches, or watching everybody’s darty Snap stories with the temperature geotag. A main aspect of hiding from humanity for the past five months is being unaware of what is going on beyond the walls they have confined themselves to, so FWF’s also may require a bit of motivation. *Spikes roommate’s morning coffee with 3 shots.* Eventually, they’ll be driven beyond boredom, and all of the energy built up from the extra hour of daylight will reboot their systems into spring mode, where they’ll be able to smile and laugh again.
There’s something in the air during springtime in Syracuse, and I’m not talking about allergies or the smell of weed. We were thrown a teasing taste of it during that “heat wave” in February, but like every party on campus nowadays it ended before it even started, making it a confusing time for everybody. Now that spring has finally sprung when it’s supposed to, we can enjoy the warm weather and all that it brings without having to worry about the world’s global warming induced demise. So call your FWF’s to notify them: the snow has melted, and people are out drinking in snow-free parking lots.
If you don’t know any FWF’s, you probably are one. Utilize the remainder of the semester for things that truly matter, because the best college memories aren’t made inside of classrooms, libraries, or alone in your room.