Reblogged from fluffypaws
Serendipity
A typical person who seeks a normal life.
In the past, I read this quote and scoffed at what it implied. I thought I was above this and not the type of person to waste my youth. I had my life planned out and was getting the results I wanted. I guess coming to college has been quite a turning point. Still in a high school mindset, I signed up for more clubs than I could handle, spent less time on classes than I should have, and wasted my free time on things that didn’t matter. After hearing some college alumni speak today, I forced myself to reflect on all that I had accomplished since graduating high school. Each day in college is a repeat of classes that I am too tired to pay attention to and a cycle of club meetings that never seem to end. I am at the peak of my youth, yet I am on autopilot and the prospect of going to sleep is the thing I look forward to most. Nineteen is a good time to do some soul searching. I refuse to believe that I have lost my vitality, energy, and exuberance at such a young age. It would truly be such a tragedy. Now that I have allowed my self a good dose of self-pity and angst, I think it’s high time that I suck it up and move on. It’s time to be ambitious and young once more.
Anonymous asked: What inspires you?
A difficult question indeed. It’s hard to name one specific thing that creates inspiration. It’s more like a feeling you get after reading a post or watching a video or experiencing a special moment of life. You feel a little bit more knowledgeable of the world and get a strange little desire to share it with someone, anyone. Those special instances come and go and appear when you least expect it.
I’m really grateful to have such amazing friends both old and new. You wouldn’t think that a birthday wish or dinner could be so significant but it is, especially when it’s your special day. It is the simple things in life that show you how lucky you really are and fill you with such great happiness.
There are a lot of things in this world that I wish were different, that I wish I could change the ending of, that I wish could have the perfect ending. But you cannot wish for something that has already passed. If we lived in a world where everyone possessed one of Hermione’s time-turners, I think we would all be much happier and at the same time so much sadder. If we could return to the past, then rather than live in the present, we would obsess about what already has been. There is a distinct nostalgia about the past that makes it beautiful and important to us. Deep inside, we know that there are no “what could have been’s” or “what would have been’s” in this world, so we focus on the road ahead. We accept the things that happen and move on, investing our hope not in the past but in the evermore bright journey ahead.
To the WTP class of 2012, I wished more than anything for you to be the ones to hold up that ever-elusive trophy. What you received instead was the kind of unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience that made all of us from 2011 so reluctant to relinquish our positions. Personally, I think Mr. Detamore and we did an amazing job individually selecting you to be part of the team. But it was each one of you that made the decision to develop that potential we saw and become experts of the constitution and well-spoken, thoughtful young adults. There is more to learn on the journey than at the end.
It will probably take a while to recover from the inner turmoil and sort out chaotic feelings. Take your time, but don’t dwell too long on what is already gone and done. Invest your passion, expertise, and experience on the next class. We The People is more than a competition; it is a course for those with a love for civics. Our class enjoyed coming back and seeing all of you learn and develop. Don’t forget to do the same. And most importantly, don’t forget that it was our amazing teacher and coach Mr. Detamore that made this all happen.
Enjoy the rest of the class. It doesn’t end here. This I can tell you from experience.
A year ago, I couldn’t wait to go to college. To go off in the world, to set my own curfews, to live on the other side of the country. After four months, I can definitely say that college became a wonderful experience where you can meet brilliant people everyday, feel average all the time, and eat ice cream more than anyone probably should. However, as this Saturday approaches, I find myself breathlessly anticipating the 5:30PM flight that will take me back to the lovely west coast, to In and Out, to Foothill, to HOME. I can just imagine the feeling of seeing my parents, lying in my own bed, and driving my car (over the speed limit, of course). There are so many comforts of home that I had taken for granted and now appreciate so much. Saturday, if only Thursday (finals) and Friday (more finals) didn’t exist.
I would have sat on the old wooden bench next to the Benjamin Franklin statue, sipping from a nice cup of hot chocolate from the Starbucks across the street from my dorm. I would have listened to some music from a variety of genres, maybe some light pop followed by a classical piece and then R & B. I would sit cross legged, both hands clasping my hot chocolate, headphones in, and a smile of contentment on my face. I would watch the people along Locust Walk, some who are students, some who are friends, some who are visitors touring the campus. I would count the number of squirrels that scamper by and perhaps allow myself the rare indulgence of day dreaming. I would have day dreamed about wonderfully impossible scenarios.
Lesson 1: An Impossible Distance Under Time Constraints
What you may believe to be impossible can be achieved when you are desperate enough. Always seek to do the impossible, hopefully not always when you are desperate though.
Case Example
Task: Get to Huntsman Building from Hill College House
Distance: 4 blocks + distance to classroom
Time Given: 5 minutes
Normal Time for Task: 10-12 minutes
Consequence of Failure: Legal Studies Teacher will kill you.
1. Start taking deep breaths as you exit Hill to conserve ADP and increase oxygen in blood stream.
2. Pray that the red lights cooperate with you. If not, know that in America, cars will usually stop for you, usually.
3. Average two steps per sidewalk block, even if 3-4 steps is normal. A little leg stretching can be good exercise.
4. Keep a smile on your face, so you don’t look too desperate.
5. Wave at your friends when they pass by, do not attempt to say hello because you should conserve your breath.
6. A couple of subtle skips are allowed if you are not walking at a pace of 1:05 minutes per block.
7. Use the remaining 40 seconds to get to the classroom.
8. Pause outside the door to catch your breath for 5 seconds.
9. Enter looking calm and composed.
10. Remember to wake up earlier in the future.
Time is such a strange little word. A series of four letters that sums up the entirety of our existence. A word that to each person means something a little bit different and yet a little bit the same. A word that is fast for some, slow for others, stressful to many, yet calming for the lucky few.
It is a best friend when we are with the people you love doing the things you enjoy. A worst enemy when we are desperately cramming for a midterm at the last minute. A companion when we are old and at peace, watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.
Time, a word too neat and too tidy, for a thing so volatile and colorful. Time, when I am long gone, you will still be here. But my dear little word, where would we have been without each other? After all, only we will know and remember all the experiences between us, you and me.
As I sit in the library and stare at the red brick columns, the intricate stone designs around me, and the latticed windows, I feel more at peace than anywhere else. At my little corner of the table, I am alone in my own world, a pair of headphones on, yet never feeling lonely. The girl in front of me is the same, as is the guy to the right. We may not know each other’s names, will not remember each other’s faces, but for now, we are silent, comforting company to each other. Within this space, I can breathe, organize my thoughts, plan out my activities, and rest. The soft glow of the lamps float through the library, creating a calm sphere within this restless, energetic university. It is a little haven, a place that will protect you from the rain outside, at least until you are ready to once again brave the storm.
