perspicacious?

     There is a way the world opens up before me sometimes, flowering wildly like the fingers of spring in bare trees, that reminds me I am young, and the world is mine as much as I will take it into my hands. I see it in my bare feet beneath me, in photographs of fresh experiences, and in restaurant parking lots late at night. I feel it when the wind’s breath rushes through my open windows, weaving tangles into my hair, which is, by the way, shorter than it was last time I wrote here. Summer always serves to remind me of the freedoms that are here at my fingertips, especially when the season comes as a reprieve from the over-papering, over-studying, over-thinking, overwhelming rush of the school year. I have, in fact, been enjoying the break so immensely that I have let far too much time pass without really stopping to document the events of my life as they occur. As a result, I have a bazillion things to say and only a smidgen of energy left with which to tackle the horde of thoughts in my brain.

     I think it is more than safe to say that the length of my hair is one of the smaller changes that has taken place in the space between May’s beginning and June’s end. I have also become employed, which is in itself representative of a million little changes in my schedule, my network of friends, my perspective of humanity, and my assumptions regarding the nature of small children. If you guessed that perhaps I have been hired as a full-time mother of 3, you would be close but no cigar. Try “part-time mother of 21″ and you’ll be on the right track, as that is a loose translation of the phrase “Jefferson Parks & Recreation Summer Camp Counselor.” Try to withhold your envy, if you please. To be a day camp counselor is certainly a daunting task, but somebody must do it, and I have elected myself as a prime candidate. Whether or not this was a very bright decision is yet to be determined.
      So, yes, it is true that much has happened and much has changed. And somehow, despite my most honest intentions of “writing often” and “capturing everything in sentences,” I just haven’t managed to keep myself in line. In fact, I often feel that the only unchanging thing within my cabinet of character traits and personal habits is my astounding ability to be mercurial. I am consistently inconsistent; I make decisions and resolutions and abandon them immediately without a second thought. I wonder often what this reflects of my personality on a soul level, and what things I am actually uncompromisingly committed to in my heart of hearts. Perhaps this is something I should know of myself already, but hey. I’m in college. If I can just figure out what I want to study for 3 more years of my life then I’ll be in commendable shape, no?

Where do I begin? The thought of compiling all the word-worthy experiences that have taken place since the end of May into one readable manuscript is daunting, to say the least. I feel that no matter what I do, some important fragment will shiver through the cracks without my permission. Summer has filled up my life to maximum capacity, cramming all kinds of adventures and undertakings into my pockets and making my work-filled days overflow into fun-filled nights. Even now, I am existing in the intermission between an 8 hour work day and an evening in the park with friends. The empty hours between those two things give me just enough space to make good food, drink decent coffee, and give voice to some of the sentences that have been careening around my brain. Most days, my spare time leaves me dithering between the two therapies I crave most: running and writing. Throw in a million potential social interactions and the result is entirely overwhelming for an introverted extrovert such as myself. The balance between an over-socialized Annie who hasn’t slept well in a week and an isolated Annie who has had far too much time to contemplate the seriousness of life is surprisingly difficult to achieve. Because extroversion is my predominant trait, I find that the former condition is the more frequently occurring of the two. As a result, I am always, always filtering the requests that fill up my social inbox on a daily basis. Those who know me would recognize this process in my tendency toward noncommittal answers such as, “Sounds like fun! Can I think about it and call you later?” Sorry guys… such is the life of a writing, running, working, loving, dreaming, thriving college girl. 
      In spite of my vigilance, however, I have found myself participating in unsurpassed amounts of entertaining activities since summer began.  Here are some of the highlights so far:

The first running medal I've ever won! I ran a 5k with a friend and we both managed to dominate in our separate age groups. Although, when the race is called "Turbo Turtle Trot," the skill level required for such flawless victory is somewhat debatable. We felt victorious, just the same.

Another running-related victory. The view from the top of a mile-long hill, elegantly christened "Godzilla's Backbone."

Kevin and Jordan in the backseat of the Satisfaction on the way to the lake for July 4th. Hard not to wake them up with my giggling.

So, it's a little difficult to know what's going on here, but this is actually what has made up the majority of my summer funtivities. The five cars are accompanied by five friends all standing in a row outside of TGI Friday's very late one Wednesday evening. Much of my time and money is spent eating good food with good people, and that is okay with me.

So, there you have it. That’s the sparknote version of all the beautiful things I’ve experienced in this happy season. And really, those images can’t convey what has been most beneficial to my soul and body because the most wonderful parts of this summer have been intangible and unphotographable, which leaves me with one option only: to capture them in words. So, in addition to the many lovely happenings that have kept my life blissful and busy all at once, here are some of the things that have been like a deep inhalation for my soul:

1. Real food. Summer is one of the sweetest seasons here around the Morgan home due to the abundance of fresh produce harvested from the veggie garden in our side yard. Daddy works impressively hard every spring to break open the soil and fill it with good things all over again; the rest of us work impressively hard at consuming the benefits of his labor. The workday assaults me with pre-packaged preservatives and suspicious looking lunch meats, leaving my craving for actual nutrition completely unsatisfied. When I walk back through the doors of the Morgan abode, however, I am greeted by the possibility of fresh everything, and it is wonderful. The process of cooking is therapeutic for me in general, so I usually end up spending at least an hour in the kitchen every day, thanking God for space to feed my soul and body well. Needless to say, this is a welcome break from whatever we Oglethorpians are handed in the Emerson Cafe during the school year… avocado flavored pudding is nothing less than an abomination, I say.

2. Good coffee. This is simple, really. In spite of my inability to deal with caffeine, I find that finding a quiet place to be at rest is just that much easier with the warmth of a too-hot latte between my fingers. My new favorite spot is becoming somewhat of a Sunday afternoon addiction, for sure.

3. Quality time. In the spectrum of things that keep me emotionally buoyant, this is certainly in the top three. I have managed to find space for many sweet conversations with people whom I have missed dearly, or whom I simply love to be with, and I always walk away feeling as though the horizons in my heart have expanded slightly. I forget often, but am swiftly reminded, that developing relationships with people is both worthwhile and crucial, and that the busyness of life must be set aside in order to make space for some unadulterated talk-time with ones I love. If you are one such person, please feel free to remind me of this frequently.

And I’ll stop there, for all of our sakes. I could add many more soul-enriching things, such as going to Bible Study on Thursdays, or Small Group on Mondays, or such as eating well and running often, but I think I’ll spare you for now.

I will conclude this entry with something that will possibly make you laugh out loud, or at least grin. Jordan, my co-counselor and friend, and I have been compiling a list of the things we say at work that we would never imagine saying anywhere else. Needless to say, working with 20 seven year olds on a daily basis will certainly leave you laughing at the absurdity of your situation quite frequently. The following are some of our favorite “I can’t believe I just said that” moments; please keep in mind that all of these are bona-fide sentences that have actually left our mouths at some time or another during work hours.

“Sierra, don’t eat the dirt on the baseball field.”
“Boys, roll the pickle!”
“No more one-eyed horses.”
“Don’t chew your foot!”
“Stop eating your shoe!” 
“Why is your sock in your mouth?”
And of course,
“Do NOT give people purple nurples.”

And that’s all for now, folks. Hopefully you laughed a little, sighed a little, smiled knowingly at your computer screen, or something else of a happy nature. Leave your thoughts for me to read, if you please. :)

P.S. This link was passed along to me by a good friend who knows me well. It’s short, and a fun read if you’ve any love for finding new words. I think “frenemy” is my favorite.