We took a stroll down to the Putnam County Museum expecting to see a broken-down building with a few trinkets of little historical significance. After all, it was not until senior year that we had even heard of the Putnam County Museum, so it couldn't be that cool, right?
We were proven wrong almost immediately. Although walking in didn't feel like entering a Smithsonian Museum (in terms of exhibits or crowds, no doubt), it had quite a quaint feel to it. The woman working was incredibly nice and gave us an overview of the museum, which ended up containing a temporary exhibit of original World War I propaganda posters. These posters aren't presented in an extravagant way, but are mounted on the wall as they appeared, emphasizing content over venue. Even more impressive, though, was the historical section of the museum devoted to DePauw University. The history - since 1837 - that we often speak of has very real meaning in the context of our lives and Putnam County. The history that is contained within the building is marvelous, not just because it is historic, but because it contains artifacts that are so intimately related to our school and consequently to our lives.
It is easy to become trapped within the "DePauw bubble" as a student here. And, to be frank, it can be quite comfortable and satisfying to do so. But, as we have found out through the years, it is venturing out of the bubble that can lend your day pleasant surprises. It's about hitching a ride out to the rope swing (which, in disappearing, has proven that waiting might not be possible in some instances), camping out in Turkey Run, about having lunch at a local restaurant and reading a book on a covered bridge. It's about going to the farmer's market and Cataract Falls on a Saturday instead of watching TV. Try even just taking a blissful drive down the breathtaking and underrated back roads of rural Indiana.
Now, to be sure, we are not undercutting the value of the "DePauw experience" or saying that we are model citizens of the Putnam County community. And, we are not saying that leaving one's comfort zone isn't possible on DePauw's campus: School of Music productions, dozens of clubs and countless other experiences go unexploited by a large majority of our students. But it is worth taking those few extra minutes to do something out of the ordinary for a day because as Robert Frost wrote in 1920, "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Maybe the road less traveled, in this case, is the first step to bridging the gap between the DePauw bubble and the larger world around us.
- Kirkpatrick is a senior from Overland Park, Kan., majoring in political science. Burns is a senior from West Lafayette, Ind., majoring in political science.