Day Thirteen

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"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." -Leonardo da Vinci 

Yep. That about sums it up. 

Trekking through, you guys. Trekking through. 

• Show two people how much they mean to me

(1). Sushi for roommate #1.
(2). Cheeseburger for roommate #2. 

Yet another thing that's come to my attention: Few movements accurately express my affection towards people quite as much as gingerly helping them into food comas. 

• Help out a stranger

Three held doors, two genuine compliments, one impromptu conversation. 

• Live instead of sleeping

My average hour of waking has worked itself down to an astonishing eight o'clock. Weekdays, at least, and on Thursdays it's closer to nine, but whatever. Been getting up almost two hours before class, making some breakfast, showering, taking my time with getting ready, having a few conversations with friends, and walking to campus. Today in particular, the walk was lovely. Don't think I'll ever get tired of waking up to a snow-covered ground. At least while I don't have to drive anywhere. 

• Do something good for myself, by myself

Nothing whatsoever. But that's okay. 

To all of you, this might look like a poorly-angled photograph of shitty, illegible handwriting that's further illegiblized by the lines drawn through it. To me, it looks like a load off my shoulders and a lot more free time tomorrow. Besides the letter I have to write to Webster demanding that they officialize the term "illegiblized." 

• Write here and write elsewhere

Yeah and sorta-yeah. Writing anything other than this and assignments is gonna have to take a back burner for a while. 

• Make a conscious decision to leave my comfort zone

So the way the New Paltz student food court is laid out is sorta like this: There's a main level where you get your food and sit at these weird-looking trying-to-be-modern-with-translucent-plastic-but-really-looks-like-a-kindergarten-classroom tables, and then the floor breaks off with railings, and there's this rectangle of nothingness so you can see down into the level underneath. So this kid's playing pool on his own down there, practicing or whatever, and I'm drinking coffee and watching from a hardcore-creeping aerial view, and he scratches and looks up to see if anyone noticed. He then finds that I am, as previously stated, hardcore creeping. Basically, this kid and I spend the next fifteen minutes doing this unspoken-communication thing where I nod when his pool skills please me and shake my head when he screws up. Finally, I move myself to go downstairs and start up a conversation with him. Turns out he's a music major named Philippe who learned to play pool at summer camp. If the last two days have taught me anything, it's that bitches potential-friends love us creepers. 

• Take three pictures of three beautiful things.

(1). See above. 
(2). See above. 
(3). See these candles that I lit for the first time in forever. 

Home scents' fireside and lack-of-brand-name sugar cookies. So basically my room smells like someone decided to roast marshmallows in the dying embers of a burned-to-the-ground domicile. Awesome. 

• Meditate

Got a couple minutes in before I started the nightmare that was everything on that checklist. I'm always hesitant to take the time--especially when I know I should be spending every bit of it on something else, and trust me, that thought's never slow to invade my psyche--but I'm constantly amazed at how much of a difference a mere five minutes makes. I'm a hundred times more on-task than I would've been without it. True story. 

• Look up at the sky 

Just went outside directly before writing this, and the sky was dead clear, but--maybe because I was right smack in the middle of an apartment complex and seemingly everyone decided it was a good idea to illuminate their front doors with 400-watt light bulbs--I really couldn't see much. I figured there were few enough to count, so I started to try, but the longer I stood out there counting, the more my eyes adjusted, and the more of them I could see. Guess that says a lot about the way things always seem to deal out. Count your windfalls, and you'll always, always end up finding more than you expected. 

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