My first experience with a mental disorder took place on a Mexico missions trip in Grade Nine. A set of boy-girl twins were on the trip, Adam and Allison*, both of whom I was casual friends with. They had been attending our church for a few years, and their dad was my elementary school band teacher – a strange man who would fix our ancient rented instruments with duct tape if we complained about a loose neck or missing finger pad.

The event entitled “Do It In the Dark: Get Turned Off!” is meant to fight apathy regarding the environment by encouraging students to think about reducing waste and energy use. Dorms and apartment blocks have the month of November to prove they have done the most or been the most creative in reducing their environmental impact.

There are lessons to be learned from toodling about in our automobiles.

Driving really impresses upon us all the importance of a good education. On the one side, people, through a habit of inattention, forget how to drive: signals, school zones and parallel parking get ignored. On the other hand, the driving-test system doesn’t really teach you how to drive: the gullible student is taught to go the posted speed limit, get in the left-hand lane at least a kilometre in advance, ignore tailgaters, slam the brakes for a yellow and otherwise drive like a paranoid geriatric. The only real driving education we get is through attentive practice.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

It’s five o’ clock a.m. I think I’ve been awake since two o’ clock. No, I know I’ve been awake. I’ve relived every minute of the past three hours too many times.

Picture these two scenarios.

You are on an airplane, and over the loudspeaker a flight attendant says, “If there are any doctors or nurses on board, could they please identify themselves as a passenger is experiencing severe chest pains and needs medical attention.” A doctor and two nurses respond immediately, and the passenger with the chest pains is given appropriate help.

In the other scenario, you are in a coffee shop. A customer sitting at the table next to you begins to shake, then gets up and starts stammering uncontrollably. The manager goes over to the shaking customer and says, “I’m sorry, we’re going to have to ask you to leave, as you are disturbing the other customers,” and leads the stammering customer out the door.

On the evening of Feb. 10, Trinity Western University women’s volleyball player Kim Klassen was driving home to Abbotsford when she was struck by an impaired driver.

Over three straight days of pouring rain, Trinity Western University became home to the Women’s soccer CIS championships. Eight teams from across the country came to represent their schools in the single elimination playoffs that took place from Nov. 6-9.

“I would look in the mirror and not like what I saw,” said one Trinity Western University student, who has struggled with an eating disorder. Her effort to change her body became an obsession, “Every thought was about food: when are you going to eat next, what you need to avoid eating.” She wouldn’t eat all day, or would only eat grapes or something with little or no calories. Then she would binge at the end of the day because she had been starving herself. This style of eating took her on an emotional roller coaster. “After I would binge, I’d start to hate myself,” she said. “I’d feel like a failure because I couldn’t just stop myself from eating,” she said.