Falling off a horse never became easy. No matter how soft the dirt was supposed to be, it hurt to hit the ground. I never enjoyed the sensation of hurtling over my horse’s neck or lurching out of the saddle. In my heart, I believed that I had done something wrong and as I gazed up at my horse with a throbbing back, I wondered what I could have done differently to prepare.

For example, one time I hopped onto a little English saddle that sat on my horse’s back. I guided her out into the pasture because I wanted to run her. As a little kid, I dreamed of becoming a jockey and this was how I practiced, but it probably was not my smartest decision.

As I urged her faster and faster, I laughed into the air and felt confident with my skills. That is, until my horse saw something in the trees ahead. She came to an immediate standstill and I somersaulted over her head and landed in a shocked heap in the field. I started crying from the jolt and my father ran out when he heard me. He asked if I had broken any bones or couldn’t move anything. I shook my head.

“Then you need to get right back on that horse,” he said.

I shook my head so hard my brain must have hit the side of my skull. I was absolutely terrified and humiliated with myself. I had failed. But, he wouldn’t take no for an answer and eventually I sat, trembling, on my horse.

If I had not sat in that saddle right after falling, I do not know if I would have continued riding horses. In the years to come I would be thrown into jumps, water, rocks, a variety of terrain. I always climbed back on. Just because I failed sometimes, did not mean that I was a failure. I had prepared for the show and I did know how to ride a horse. Circumstances and luck were simply not on my side.

Failure is scary and it’s never an experience that we become comfortable with. It hurts just the same the 27th time as it did the first time. Fear of failure is natural and can be overcome, but that does not mean it becomes easier to handle. No matter what it is or where you are, failure does not feel good.

However, it can be kept in perspective. Preparation and attitude are two important aspects of failure. With finals squeezing us in a chokehold embrace, we have to remember that we cannot predict every outcome. Some questions are going to leave you shaking your fist at the world and wondering how you missed that one lecture. The only thing you can control is how much time you invest in preparation. Do the practice exams, rewrite your notes, go to office hours and, if you fail, it is okay. Your stomach might sink, but it will not bring the sky crashing down around you.

If we cannot learn how to handle failure and understand that the same queasy feeling will happen each time, then we have failed ourselves. That is the worst letdown. As humans, we will continue to mess up no matter how old we become or how experienced we are.

As I pursued horseback riding over the years, I also continued to tumble to the ground. I never grew to like it, but I finally recognized that I had succeeded even when I fell off because I trusted myself as a rider. I believed that I had prepared and therefore, when I did fall off, I did not beat myself up.

It is that time of the year when mailboxes are filled with colorful envelopes, family photos and handwritten letters. These cards are artfully stacked or placed in one crevice of the house until another holiday season comes to an end. Some photos arrive from families that you saw yesterday at game night, while others are from a distant college friend that you have not spoken to since graduation.

Getting something in the mail, the old fashioned kind, has a heart-warming effect. But, as the progression of iPhones and Snapchats surge into the future, written notes are left behind until December happens again. The holiday season makes everyone feel a bit more popular and a tad more loved. Cards are fun to send and receive because they give you a chance to reminisce on the year, forgive the mistakes and rejoice in the good.

At the same time, it can be odd to receive a card from a family you have not spoken to in five years. Maybe it is one of those timeless friends who you only need to talk to every odd year, but sometimes it can be simply random. Certain cards appear thrown together, while others look like Martha Steward made the design. With this cheerful season comes an interesting array of holiday cards:

1. The Collage

This card is fairly basic and easy to understand. That family did not have a decent family photo to send to 50 different areas of the world. Instead, 5 to 8 photos ranging from the cute new puppy to selfies at the family vacation to the kid’s first day of school, plaster the double-sided notecard. Collages happen for a variety of reasons: no one had any time, kids are in the “mom and dad aren’t cool” phase, or everyone frankly forgot.

2. Perfectly Posed Family

In other words, a professional took the photo complete with a backdrop or scenic view in the distance. This family went all out. Everyone looks poised and happy – an image of pristine content and love. The kids are holding hands and dad has a hand on mom’s shoulder. Who knows, maybe this is how the family is all the time, or it’s possible that an argument happened 30 seconds before those smiles. It all depends.

3. Everyone is Distracted

No one, not mom, dad, or grandpa, is looking at the camera. Now, with small family gatherings, it is easy to take a few more photos to capture the perfect moment. But, large groups can be stressful. It is hard to keep all the five and eight year old cousins to sit for more than 10 seconds. Everyone is shouting and before you know it the camera flashes and no one wants to sit through another, so you call it good and send it to Costco.

4. Kids Only

The parents are not in the picture. This is another card that happens for a variety of reasons. On a serious note, maybe mom and dad are not together anymore and one decides to talk about their children this holiday. That would make this card a logical option to post and send. On the other hand, the “kid’s only” photo can also happen because of one too many Christmas cards in the past. Children are graduating college soon and the idea of another family photo is cringe worthy.

5. The Never-Ending Letter

The card that gives receiving families an update on every aspect of the sender’s lives. Some call it bragging, others find it to be military style bullet points of the past year’s experiences, and it can also resemble a Dear Annie column in the paper. Whatever you define these letters as or however you choose to write them, try to leave judgment out.

These cards can be funny to look at or easy to judge, but ultimately the people that sent them care enough about you to send a holiday greeting. So have a laugh (or two), but remember that every family had a different experience in 2015.

Revlon is playing on the insecurities that people harbor in relationships to try and show that their product can help strengthen the love between couples.

The company released a new video called The Love Test: Choose Love. The film focuses on eight couples who have been together for different periods of time. The ranges start at one month and max around 40 years. Different ages, races and backgrounds are represented in the video as the couples are asked questions about their love life.

The video has two segments. The first is a series of questions, and the second occurs after the women are asked to complete a week-long, “self-love” ritual. The women return to the screen and are not told that their significant other is hiding behind a curtain and listening to the answers. Everyone appears happier after the ritual.

As much as I want to accept how adorable the couples are and wipe romantic tears from my eyes, several aspects of the video don’t make sense.

A week is not enough time to suddenly gain a truckload of confidence. You can’t meditate for a week and have all your anxieties magically float away. It takes time and patience. The same goes for confidence in yourself and a relationship. Anyway, how do we know that these women actually completed the self-love ritual? No video footage is shown of this process, which was obviously the key turning point for a successful connection. It doesn’t make sense to cut out the progression of confidence that happened during that time.

Revlon claims that 97 percent experienced positive results. On the surface that number looks and sounds wonderful. It makes you happy for the couples and give a mental thumbs up to Revlon. However, who is this 97 percent? All we see is “experienced.” This number is not credible because the viewers have no idea who that percentage is referring to. Only eight couples participated in the video. Did the company interview more outside of this film? If Revlon wanted a reliable percentage, it needed to supply information about the survey conducted.

In the beginning of the video, the couples are dressed in plain and basic clothing. Hardly any makeup can be seen on the women’s faces. But, after the week-long self-love test, both men and women appear better dressed with fresher faces. Revlon is manipulating viewers. In that short span of time, a self-love ritual does not change your sense of style, and the only reason that they appear to have brighter faces is because Revlon put company makeup on them. Why does dressing up and putting makeup on have to correlate with being a happier and more loving couple? It doesn’t. That’s just Revlon’s definition.

In the film, Revlon states, “The women were sent home for a week to try a daily beauty ritual with makeup, fragrance, chocolate, and a mirror…taking a few moments, each day, to appreciate themselves.” Women, not men, were told to appreciate themselves for a week. I understand that more women than men use makeup and perfume, but that doesn’t mean men are completely self-assured. Why are women portrayed as the individuals who don’t have confidence? This quote makes women look weak and is basing its validity off of a stereotype. Revlon used that societal label to convince viewers that its products help women become more poised and self-reliant. Then they become better partners in a relationship. Learning to love yourself does help, but women are not the only people who suffer from a lack of confidence.

Furthermore, one couple has only been dating for one month. After the self-love test, the woman was asked, “How long do you think you will be together?”, as her boyfriend listened backstage. She smiled and said, “forever.” I’m sorry, but when was the last time, besides in The Titanic, when any of us knew we were going to grow old with someone after one month of dating. Revlon’s video has no validation. It is an advertising campaign to convince viewers to buy more products.

It’s Thursday, and the weekend is fast approaching. You have a choice to either suffer through hangovers Saturday and Sunday morning or wake up early to get out of town. I recommend the latter because four years will speed by, and senior year you’ll wake up wishing you had explored more of the state. So, hang out with friends Friday night but also prepare a Saturday adventure. Try something new, such as skiing or snowboarding.

Mountains are both beautiful and terrifying. They can be thrilling, but equally as dangerous. The weather can change in the blink of an eye, turning the mountain into a roaring lion instead of a sleeping kitten. The mountains can be your friend, but only if you approach it with the right tools and state of mind.

Patt McKinney, a ski and snowboard instructor for the Powder House in Bend, Oregon, says Mt. Bachelor offers a variety of slopes for all skill levels, from beginner to cliff hiking.

“Honestly, people are asking how hard it really is,” said McKinney of newcomers. “People think they are better skiers than they normally are and will talk themselves up, but you could be setting yourself up to get injured.”

He also recommends that mountain-goers remain aware of the variable weather. It can go from blue skies to heavy overcast without a second thought.

The weather can make or break your first mountain experience. Don’t show up to Mt. Bachelor without a face mask when winds are 30 miles per hour and the furthest you can see is your hand five feet in front of you. By the end of the day, your face will be so numb you won’t be able to tell that you have one.

Proper gear is essential, and I don’t mean a rain jacket and a beanie. Before you leave to go skiing or snowboarding, lay everything out on your floor to make sure you have all the essentials. Speaking from personal experience, your stomach will drop if you open your car door at the base of the mountain and realize you only have one pole or one glove. Skiing without poles is like watching a penguin try to fly, and you can kiss the feeling in your fingers goodbye if you forget a glove.

As you layer your clothes, you will feel like a fat snowman or the Toaster Strudel boy. Do not bring less clothing because you think the two sweatshirts and heavy jacket aren’t flattering. You will freeze and look even more ridiculous. That being said, make sure you have a turtleneck or under-armor, a waterproof jacket, glove liners, hand warmers, thick socks, goggles and preferably, a helmet over a hat.

Stirling Cobb, the Marketing and Communications Manager at Mt. Bachelor, stresses the importance of layers, recommends purchasing tickets in advance online and starting your day at Sunrise lodge where more accessible, beginner terrain is located.

“The best is when you see people in street wear,” said Cobb of new skiers. “They look like they’re bumbling around with jeans and their ski boots unbuckled.”

The Gravity School at Mt. Bachelor offers a variety of ski and snowboard lessons for all ages and skill levels. Cobb highly recommends that beginners check out the Ski or Ride in Five Program for their next ski season. It offers five lessons, a daily lift ticket, rental gear and upon completion: a 12-day pass, which is good for the rest of the season.

It can seem daunting to plan a mountain excursion if you never grew up around them. Go to have fun, but go responsibly. Do the online research beforehand and reserve your rental gear so that you know exactly where to go and what to have by the time you reach the mountain.

Look for blue skies, tuck your hair into a helmet if you don’t want it to become an icicle, bring hand warmers, zip your jacket all the way up, don’t sag your ski pants below the waist (that’s just asking for difficulties) and keep an optimistic and open mind as you explore the mountain.