A Farewell

Study Break

It's the weekend before finals, and I know I should be studying--and I have been, so chill--but I wanted to write something non-acedemic, and I'm telling myself that this is great practice for my future London blogs. So, here I am! Let me entertain you.

Last weekend was Auburn's A-Day. Honestly, I'm not sure what that stands for because I'm terrible at being a college kid, but it meant that over 83,000 members of the Auburn family gathered in Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch our defense play our offense. I loved it, but here was my dilemma: Who was I supposed to cheer for? It was Auburn vs. Auburn. Brother vs. brother. You see my dilemma? Having turned in all of my major papers, I was in a fantastic mood, so I cheered whenever something significant happened. Cheering is more fun than moaning. The defense, the side I decided I wanted to win, lost, but nothing could bring me down. I mean, Auburn still won, which is what matters, I guess. After weeks of being a hermit (and I mean, really, I went to the grocery store for fun, guys...I got excited about having time to vacuum), I was finally decked out in my school colors with my friends. I loved every minute of it.

If you know something about Auburn, you've probably heard about one of our best and strangest traditions: rolling Toomer's oaks. Normally rolling someone's yard irritates the owners. Few would call the outcome "beautiful" or "heart-warming." Few would say it embodied family, victory, love, and tradition. In Auburn, we get to roll our trees in celebration of every victory. It's a family bonding activity. Sometimes police officers even block the roads so we can roll our trees. We're loud and proud. Not many people can say that about their town.

The year we won the BCS National Championship, a fan of the rival camp (the University of Alabama) decided to take his vengeance and poisoned our beloved trees. (Admittedly, they were already ill when poisoned.) I remember sitting on my bunk in my dorm, just a short walk from Toomer's Corner, reading the news in disbelief. As one of my friends from UA said, why would anyone want to poison trees? Play a practical joke, sure. But murder trees? Too far, man. Too far.

That was two years ago. Our trees, once so full of life, can give no more. We couldn't salvage the trees, so we decided to send them out in style. After the A-Day game, basically everyone in Auburn migrated to Toomer's Corner to roll the trees. It was packed and crazy and perfect all at the same time. Everyone wanted to participate in the final rolling of the original Toomer's oaks. I guess you could call it a block party. We had music and a huge stage. It was a celebration.

Here's what it looked like when I got there:

Beautiful, right? (Maybe not as beautiful as this picture, which someone took the morning after our national championship celebration, though. It's one of my favorites.) I heard it looked like Auburn experienced a blizzard at the end. Toilet paper piled on the ground and reached people's knees. (Note: I understand that it's...interesting that we killed a large number of trees because we're sad our trees are dead. I never said we made sense.) I didn't get to stay. My friends and I decided to grill hamburgers and eat ice cream, which was the perfect ending to a friends and family themed day. It was hot, we were hungry, and we needed to get away from the crowd of 83,000+ people. Of course, I admit that it's a little sad that I couldn't be a part of this picture. It's an aerial view of the crowd surrounding the trees when a few important people spoke and the band played. I got a tiny bit teary eyed the first time I saw it. It's wonderful that this town, the school, and the trees affected so many people. I've had my ups and my downs in Auburn, but I know a part of me will love it. It's something most people can say about their college town, I'm sure, but this tradition is uniquely Auburn. 

The trees are gone, and Toomer's Corner looks empty now. It's strange. Auburn's giving the corner a make-over and will eventually plant new trees, which I think is the best option. I'm sure it will look lovely. Just not the same. We've come to the end of an era. But someone ridiculously positive will say that it just means we're starting a new era. And I guess we are.

I'm terrible at endings, and I don't like saying goodbye. But here's me saying my farewell to some old friends. So, Toomer's oaks, thanks for never complaining when we threw toilet paper over your limbs to celebrate life, baby steps, victories, and family.

Haley