Living It Up
Upon returning to campus this year, my roommates were surprised that I didn't want the bottom bunk. Even though I could've easily claimed bottom bunk, I didn’t. I could've even pulled the “upperclassman card” and beaten my freshman roommate to the coveted bunk if it had come to a draw. Instead, I was glad to see that a top bunk was still available for me. I have my reasons.
First, the view from my top bunk of Griffith tower fourth floor is a virtual nose-bleed seat to Eagles soccer games. I can easily see both goals from the comfort of my bed minus the screaming, jostling crowds, and blaring speakers. “Go Eagles,” I whisper from my bed as I pump my fists all alone in my room. My whisper seems loud compared to the stillness of my room, but it would've been lost if I’d been down on the bleachers.
Second, sitting five feet above the floor feels spacious. I don’t have to feel closed in or stare at the clutter that sometimes overwhelms residence hall rooms. No one drops their snack crumbs down on me, and no one squeaks the bed springs above my head. Best of all, my head clearance is almost double that of the bottom bunk—perfect for that early-morning stretch.
One of the best perks of living on top is that my bed doesn’t morph into the community couch. It’s not the bench for my whole prayer group, it’s not the friend hang-out, and it doesn’t get piled with roommates’ stuff. Living on top is really living it up.
Yes, the top bunk is harder to make, and yes, it is depressing to climb up onto my bed to start my homework but then realize that I left my pencil behind and have to clamber down to retrieve it, but the good outweighs the bad.
I wouldn’t trade the top for…well…the bottom even if I could. After three years and two months of practice, I’m a pro at launching myself catapult-style into bed each night. So I think I’ll keep my spacious, clutter-free, nose-bleed seat of a bed. And who knows, maybe I’ll make it all the way through senior year without sleeping on the bottom bunk and I’ll set some sort of record.
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