There are moments of joy on Occidental’s campus — skateboarding moves and scholarly discussions. But what most stands out, and what was the best day of your life so far?
Alli Hoffman (first year) said she has yet to experience a moment she considers her “best day” — and that the label should only be used for events that have a huge amount of meaning for her. Regardless, she said she envisions the best moment of her life as a time when she can step away from her stresses and live in the moment, doing something she enjoys like hanging out with friends or taking a day for herself.
“I don’t have a single best moment I can think of,” Hoffman said. “There’s always so much going on in my life, so the best day for me would be taking a breather and not worrying about life’s most pressing things.”
Miari Costarelli (senior) said she has a specific day she will never forget. According to Costarelli, the best day of her life was her 21st birthday because it was an entire 24 hours of celebration with food, partying and the company of her friends from Occidental, who poured their hearts into making her feel special.
“Even after all the celebrations during the day, I had a small party at night and it was such a beautiful vibe,” Costarelli said. “What made it the best day wasn’t even necessarily the fact it was my birthday, it was because of the love I felt from the people around me.”
Costarelli said she felt pure joy and wanted the day to never end. She said the day was significant because she felt that she had child-like, carefree happiness. From the chatter of her friends during a brunch of her favorite breakfasts foods to the glittery pink birthday sash over her shoulder, Costarelli said it was truly her best day ever.
A person’s best day ever does not have to be a single day or moment, according to Mia Ness (first year). Ness said that upon thinking about what her best day would be, nothing came to mind because she has had so many positive experiences and days she would live over and over again. She said “best days” are all about feeling confident and content with whatever situation you are in or doing something out of the ordinary to forget about anything weighing you down.
Ness said she would categorize every Christmas morning, sitting under the Christmas tree in her living room with her entire family in pajamas exchanging and opening presents, as her “best days.” She said family time is important to her because she enjoys spending time with the people she loves, especially while both Ness and her sister are away at college.
“Christmas mornings have been some of the best days of my life because everyone from my family is together and we’re just enjoying each other’s company,” Ness said. “I really miss them and look forward to seeing them soon because I know I’ll have a good time.”
Even though some people may be able to pinpoint specific times or moments in their life, all “best days” make you think of a time when you are truly happy, Hoffman said. She said that not everyone has the same definition of a “best day,” but that people should be happy for others’ “best day” experiences no matter how small they seem.
“[College students] are still so young. We haven’t experienced a huge part of life yet, so our ‘best days’ may seem superficial or not significant to people older than us who would consider things like their wedding or the birth of their children their ‘best days,’” Hoffman said. “We still feel a sense of freedom and excitement even if our ‘best days’ seem small in comparison to people who are older.”
She said “best days” can change depending on your mood or even the events of the past week — and that is okay!
“Your best day could be winning a Nobel Peace Prize, or it could literally be staying home in bed eating chips,” Hoffman said. “They’re both ‘best days’ in my books.”