Life Happens
The past week has been strange and beautiful, full of the diverse surprise and joy to which I’m still so unaccustomed.
To start, though, I’ll lead with where I last ended. I’ve not made much progress on the novel (for reasons soon understandable), but I have a rudimentary idea that I feel I could explore quite nicely.
The story is very abstract by nature, such that there are no actual characters, only concepts that interact. To help me along this generic yet confusing idea, I’ve made diagrams showing the interconnectedness of various emotions and ideas, and I’ll use those to create the “characters.” As for an actual plot, I’m not sure what I’ll make. Maybe I’ll just listen to some weird music and garner inspiration that way.
This is where things become unordinary. Just a few days ago, I was approached by one of my friends and asked if we could talk later; the way I was asked led my to think something might be wrong or upsetting her. Instead, it was even about her; she told me that I had been twice nominated to be the editor of Stambaugh’s poetry book, one of our house projects! I promptly added that title (and its accompanying obligations) to my meager collection, and I loved the responsibility of managing and organizing such a project. We finished it just the other night, and it turned out quite beautifully, both in content and design. Good job, Stambaugh!
Things quickly sobered following the acceptance of my new position, though. The night of or after I started work on the project (I can’t recall which night), I found out that a dear relative of mine had passed, and the world lost its vibrance for a while. Through this parting and while I was not near my family, I had my friends to comfort me; I’m thankful that their performance in that role was exemplary.
And even amidst these two events and the opposing feelings they conjure, there are so many more things to factor into the perplexity that comes before Thanksgiving break! I finished my last chemistry lab for the semester; I’m thinking about summer jobs and internships (though I really should have started earlier); I’m excited for the upcoming break, but I don’t want to leave my friends. All these thoughts muddle together and make the mind a confusing place, but a little more focus can amend the situation.
I guess that last point about my friends is due to me hanging out with them so much and loving them too hard, but it’s impossible not to. Just look at these pictures!
These are exactly the people with whom I’ve always wanted to celebrate birthdays (and we have). These are the people that say, “Hey, let’s see how many of us can pile onto this bed,” and then we listen to blaring music and twitch around because we’re so uncomfortable and most of our limbs have fallen asleep, but it’s worth every moment (and we have done EXACTLY that).
They’re what I’m thankful for during this particular season. Yes, you knew all along it was going to be a corny ending. Apart from the turkey, the family talks, and the cliché, peaceful nap around loved ones, I love my friends. This holiday season won’t be quite the same without them by my side. We’ll be with our old families waiting to return to the new.