Thursday, April 15, 2010

Contentment

Today things are looking up. For the past few days I've been battling a bit of a stomachache which I assume is caused by an imbalanced diet (oops.) I know it's terrible, but this year I have had a bad habit of replacing real meals with cereal or tea when I know the best thing for me is leafy greens and iron. Today I've done pretty well, with one out of two meals so far eaten in the dining hall, and a snack from the cafe in the afternoon.

The weather is beautiful and I tried laying outside to research for my term paper that is due in a few weeks, but I only managed to be on the lawn an hour. As I sit in my room, sipping my Mint Mocha Chill and looking out the window, the sun seems to be taunting me with its warmth. Of course, in New Hampshire, when the sun is warm it doesn't mean that everything else is! A little after 1 o'clock, I laid out my blanket, spread my books around me, and began to read. At first it was nice to feel the hot sun on my back and head, but the wind picked up and tried to blow the blanket out from under me. It was not a nice Spring breeze like you read about in romance novels, but a New Hampshire Spring breeze that comes from the glacial depths of the White Mountains or blows inland off the freezing Atlantic. I am not a particularly attentive person to reading, and as such was distracted nearly every time a petal fell from the tree above me, or whenever a helicopter went by during its training flight. When my hair began to blow into my face so that I could not have seen what I was reading even if I had wanted to concentrate, I decided that Mother Nature was not willing to share nice Spring weather with anyone else quite yet.

I dropped my books and blanket in my room and headed to the cafe to obtain a treat which had caught my eye the previous evening. Being a Thursday afternoon, and having finished classes, homework, and an attempt at researching, I came to the conclusion that this particular treat was warranted. Besides, it would help my uneasy stomach.

I've just finished the last bit of the Mocha Mint Chill, and my stomach does feel better. My friend and I are about to head out on an adventurous walk, which will fool us into thinking that we've done some exercise for the day, and afterward I assume I'll have dinner with friends and go to bed early for once. Yes, my life is fulfilled for the moment. I am content.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Bread, Tea and Marmalade

Last weekend I went grocery shopping for myself (something I rarely do while I'm at school.) It is something I have always enjoyed because it gives me a sense of independence and maturity that is otherwise absent when I rely on dining hall food. Walking down the isle of the market with my list in hand and a basket slung over one arm is so gratifying to me. I almost feel that I am a real person, not some post-adolescent stuck in the limbo that is university.

Since that glorious shopping trip I have had fresh white bread to eat with marmalade for breakfast every morning. Each morning I sit at my desk, thinking about the day before me, sipping my tea and listening to the sounds of spring that come from my open window. Life is good in those few moments, and I am reminded that no matter how difficult life may seem at the end of the day, God continuously provides a time for me to enjoy His gifts.