Letter from the Director

Hello friends!

With temperatures dropping, leaves falling, and Halloween approaching, we are in the heart of fall; both the season and the semester. There seems to be something magical about this time of the year. Maybe it's the changing colors of the trees and the crisp, chilly air we become graced with as we walk out of our midterm exams. Or maybe it’s the apple cider and pumpkin pie. Either way, I hope you are enjoying the present.

As I reach my final year here at the University of Minnesota and take on this role as Executive Director of Wake Magazine, I find myself looking at this idea of the present in awe. How did I get here? How did weget here? How did it lead up to the point that you found yourself holding this copy of The Wake and seeing the works of such a vast array of students from the U? 

In such a fast-paced world, so deeply focused on the future, it is often difficult to live in the present. Many (myself included) spend each day waiting for the next. Waiting for the weekend. Waiting for a vacation. Waiting for the next big thing. We seem to forget to find and truly feel the present moment and live in the now. 

Feel the chill of the breeze on your cheeks. Embrace the times spent laughing until your stomach hurts. Take, at the very least, a few minutes each day to focus exclusively on yourself and relax. If we spend each day waiting for another day, can we really enjoy our lives? 

That is my challenge to you. Live in the now. Be present. Find out what it means not just to be alive, but to truly live. As Dave Matthews Band said, “the future is no place to place your better days.” 

With love,

Jamie Rohlfing

Executive Director