Every student knows the secret to surviving Winter Quarter: sleep, caffeine, and a perfectly curated playlist that can turn even the longest days around. As we settle into Week 3, I find myself reaching for the one song that always lives at the top of my winter playlist.

I can still hear the car radio with the volume turned up, laughter filling the air, as my dad sings along to Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.” I’m sitting in the passenger seat rolling my eyes, but smiling all the while. I had always interpreted the song as being about poker, but as the years passed, I began to understand it as something more. It’s a life lesson wrapped in a metaphor about when to take a chance, step back, and let go — or as the song says, “when to hold ‘em,” “when to fold ‘em,” and “when to walk away.” 

Whenever college begins to feel like a game of chance, where any one wrong choice can have huge consequences, I put on this song. For three minutes, the soft strum of the guitar, the steady beat, and Rogers’ rich voice transport me to that car where I’m 17, still just a senior in high school, and with my entire future ahead. Life feels lighter, and I’m reminded I can handle whatever hand I’m dealt.

Listen to the rest of the playlist here!