Free

Long blog pause due to proper living.

Today began with the sound of my alarm going off. I opened my closet and a pile of clothes came tumbling out, probably because I folded them in a too-high tower or didn't position them correctly. Blame is important in these situations, you know, but I'm still the victor because... hello, I folded my clothes--a feat always worthy of applause in this home.

Lemon squeezes nicely into lemonade when you figure it was a good opportunity to re-organize them and pick off some lint balls. Plus, I found a dress that I forgot about.

But then, inconvenience struck again. When we got home from school, the front door was locked, and so were all of the windows. And I was mad. It's one thing to bang loudly on the door and shout for someone to open it, but I even made turning the knob and opening my backpack to get my phone into a loud activity. Like "SOMEONE (BANG) OPEN THE (BANG) DOOR".

I was supposed to work on homework and a story that's been brewing in my mind for a week, and I ended up hiding my backpack on the porch and walking to the library. This is where I'm supposed to say "This blows, what a waste." Alright, it totally blew. But I have this theory on nights that blow. There's this old Top Chef episode where, in the quickfire challenge, contestants were given a selection of ingredients--one of which happened to be SPAM. Given a choice between fresh, flavorful foods and SPAM, you would assume any chef in his right mind would scurry to score the good stuff and the last rotten egg would, begrudgingly, claim the SPAM. But any smart chef knows, SPAM's a challenge. Anyone can whip up something good out of fresh produce, but SPAM? It requires ingenuity, a look outside the box. If you can turn SPAM into something good, it's a guaranteed win--an unforgettable victory. A risk, yes. A disadvantage, definitely. But an edge.

An edge that makes you realize...
Wow, I did that. I made something good out of SPAM. Imagine what else I am capable of.

*******

If my entire life is like this, loud laughter and bold action and the kind of exhaustion you feel after a hard but satisfying day, I will be content.
thank you, veronica roth, for your always perfect quotes.

T'was a gauntlet week, last week. The kind you dread on Monday but makes you feel victorious on Friday.

And last Friday, it felt just like Friday should feel.

I never expected that I would actually enjoy football games (I hardly understand them), and I never have before. But last Friday? Good lord, was it fun. The screaming and the cheering and the clapping and pounding and noise and smells all came together into one of those "life is good" moments that make Mondays worth it.

peace is restrained. this is free.

I hope today feels like a Friday for you.