Today began so... unproductive. I skipped class, paced about the apartment, practiced on my turntables a little bit (I finally got them hooked up and can live out my small dream of becoming a house music DJ), played some dulcimer, and ate macaroni and cheese... and ice-cream. I also did something that I won't go into in this public forum, but am ashamed about. This was on top of, or in spite of rather, the massive amount of schoolwork I need to have done by next Monday. All of my classes are wrapping up, and thanks to my procrastinating genius, I am now in a mad rush to finish all of my big projects.
As the afternoon wore on, I sat in front of my computer and compulsively checked facebook (did you know I even try to change the TV to facebook? I am a sick individual)instead of beginning my comparative developmental case study paper and Powerpoint. So, as any good son would do, I called my mother for advice:
"MOM! I'm just sitting here and I CANNOT for the life of me do my work! I've put it all off and now I'm stuck..."
"well... what do you want me to do about it?"
"I just need your advice, what should I do?"
"...Have you been outside today?"
"Nooo...."
"Maybe you should try that- get outside, maybe get some coffee- get a change of scenery,"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.... I guess I'm just frustrated that I lack any form of foresight and now I'm in this predicament."
"Yes I know, darling..." she says in the tone letting me know she has warned me of this every day for the past 20 years.
So I followed my mom's advice, and went outside. I grabbed my school supplies and hopped in my beat up Nissan 240sx. I decided to go to the neighborhood Southwood, since it has wonderful hills on which to longboard. They are long, fast, and wide. I expected a good experience, but was completely surprised; God had intended something much more elegant for me. I arrived at 5:30pm, and was somewhat concerned that the rain would prevent me from longboarding. However, I found an easy, decently long, and dry, hill next to a mystical and unexpected cow pasture (perhaps its unexpectedness made it mystical). Flying down hills instantly became secondary to this new and spectacular sight. The overcast sky and barely damp ground made everything alive, vibrant, and engrossing. The cows ran briskly and congregated next to a large and serene lake, the surface of which was broken only by a cormorant neck poking above the water. A majestic oak reflected off the glassy gray surface. It was quite and windy; everything was relaxed, and it was as if I walked by a stranger, recumbent and asleep, and she is beautiful and unknown, yet her closed eyes warmly invite me, mouth agape, to marvel in her beauty. I want to say something to her, to thank her for grace, yet I dare not touch her, my hand stops and returns to my side, lest I disturb her perfection. Instead, my mind and heart go to their rightful place, and praise God for his evergreen mercies. I am unworthy, filthy. But God has found it fit to Love me, sacrificing Himself so we may be at peace; God and Man. And like a stranger, she is soon gone, yet the thought and mystery of her remain, and until I seen another like her, that is sufficient.
The rest of the day was beautiful, I met some interesting people at Lake Ella: a digeridoist, a massage therapist, an out-of-towner, a support staffer for the Art Department, his 19-month old son who insisted I make a toy merry-go-round spin and spin for him. It was lovely, and anything lovely is a blessing, and blessings come from God, so I thank Him with a reflective smile and glad heart for this very interesting day.
Oh, and I got some work done too.
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