Stories from Somewhere Else

"Dear Member, Cornerstone Credit Union has important, time sensitive information that must be reviewed immediately." Still drowsy at five in the morning, this was the first thing I read when I woke up this past Thursday. If this was my bank's idea of a sweet morning message that everyone dreams of, they didn't succeed. At all. I'd gone to sleep so excited for what that day had to offer. It was only a half day, after all, and my afternoon was booked with a gig for jazz band and an interview for my journalism class - two things significantly more exciting than another day at school. Sorry FHS. Even better, Original Women's Conference was kicking off that night, and I'd been looking forward to this gathering of godly women for quite some time. This Thursday was supposed to leave me happy, ministered to, and untouchable. I woke up feeling anything but. So, still frantic about what urgent information my bank had in store for me, I pushed myself out ...

A restless Lily trots after my heels. Surely she senses the warm air outside, the teasing breeze resembling summer, the breeze our small town can sense just as well. I give in and take her on a lead, guiding us to the sidewalks. The sun hides behind a gentle mass of clouds, blue, casting everything in a comforting azure hue. Her ears flop with each buoyant step. For a dog of seven years, her energy has aged little. As she pants and searches and sniffs, nose pressed into the budding grass, I watched. I listened. I observed. Warm weather brings a town to life. A man mounted on a motorcycle roared down the street. In his wake were a pair of boys, one black and one white. The boys were mounted on little bikes, young bony knees pedaling faster and faster, as one shouted, "Come on!" and the other, "This is so cool!" They followed the motorcycle man, watching him fill his tires, illuminated by violet lights, at the gas station. The boys rest...

You know how toddlers stumble around on their chunky legs and sway when they walk, as if gravity is just begging them to tumble down? Well, I can find no better way than that to describe how the past several months of my life have been going. 1) Because I feel as if I've been plodding around aimlessly for quite some time. And 2) because I've gained twenty pounds since freshman year. Wanna talk about chunky legs? They're cute on toddlers, but that's usually where 'aww' factor ends. This isn't to say that life has handed me nothing but hardships in this dry period of time. I am very blessed with the multitude of opportunities I've been given, and the frankly comfortable lifestyle I am able to live. But more and more, the high moments just haven't been satisfying, and the low moments have been drawn out to last for days...even weeks. I find myself trudging through life. Maybe it's because I'm twenty pounds heavier. Maybe it's because I d...