Every time I look at my day planner, I get a little bit freaked out. With the 22 credit hours worth of work I am doing this semester, well...my calendar can get a bit crazy. Every class, every meeting, every obligation, etched out on a much too tiny piece of paper, staring me in the face every hour of the day. Oddly enough, after the shock subsides, I find myself excited by the activities that lie ahead of me. Marching Band, Knitting for Noobs, research assisting, SexCo, College-Community Winds, and four academic classes...I don't think I'd be able to do it unless I really wanted to. And I do. I remember the feeling of waking up to face another day of high school- hit snooze for an hour, crawl out of bed, drive to class in my jammies, and slink into class 30 seconds before the final bell. It was entirely miserable. But here...it's so different. I don't think I was able to actually process how different until this semester began. The feeling of waking up to a day packed with things you're excited about and things that you love to do is unbeatable. And when almost every day begins that way, it's hard to feel regret even when the craziness catches up to you. It can be stressful, but in a great kind of way.
However, as much as I love my madness, there's something beautiful about a day off. Today was that day for me. My last class ended at 10:50, and after that...what? Nothing? Wow. Besides the usual completion of homework, I had nothing else scheduled, nowhere else to be. The day was a blank slate. I suppose I could have gone out and filled it with some crazy awesomeness, but instead, I decided to go back to my cozy dorm room for some nice, relaxing awesomeness. There's no place I'd rather be on a day like today. I can lie in bed and stare out my window, listening to the rain hammering down on the sidewalk, closing my eyes and just taking it all in. Sometimes, someone in Barrows plays Moondance by Van Morrison on their flute. It's beautiful and it brightens my day every time. Barrows flautist, if you're reading this- I love you. Someone else, maybe also in Barrows, always plays their guitar. I can always hear it drifting in through my slightly cracked window. Falling asleep listening to their cheerful riffs over the falling rain is greater than any composed lullaby I've ever heard. I can read from my neuroscience textbook under the encompassing warmth of my fleece blankets...homework has never been quite so awesome. I'm starting to drift off, so my apologies if this blog becomes incoherent in any way. It's hard to worry about that right now, as I sit by my window, halfway hypnotized by the blustering winds outside.
I know that tomorrow, my alarm clock will ring at 9 a.m. and I'll head out for another hectic day of this, that, and everything in between. Somehow, it seems like the perfect follow-up for a day like today, because it's hard to appreciate relaxation without a bit of madness. On the flip side, I don't think I'd properly be able to appreciate my madness without a bit of relaxation. It feels like I've truly got the best of both worlds. I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings.
