An Encounter with Joy: Why I Love Tuesdays

So I've written sixty pages worth of essays since I got here. This is what I'm realizing as I close out this first semester of college.

Thus is the life of an English major.

Can't really complain, though. God has gifted me with the ability to take zero information and present it in a way that sounds like twenty years of research. That's an infinite percent increase in content. Writing comes pretty naturally to me, which is good for my grades. It's also good for my stress, as it reduces my homework time significantly from the hours my peers are dealing with.

Tangent: Tuesdays are my favorite days.

Today's Tuesday is no exception. I got up at 8:00 AM after a pretty long night of sleep and went to breakfast with Sierra and my heavy metal friend Sal. It was fantastically relaxing and let me get an early start on my day. By this, of course, I mean that I got an extra meal and two extra hours of Portal 2 (I only have one class on Tuesdays). Despite my lack of productivity, I felt refreshed and accomplished simply for getting up early.

I'm in Aesthetics of Cinema now. We'll be watching Pan's Labyrinth tonight for our film viewing. I'm excited. My Media Discernment class last year watched it, and it was surprisingly well done. It's a Guillermo del Toro film about a girl living with her father, who is a brutal military captain during the Spanish Civil War. The girl, Ofelia, meets an ancient faun in the mysterious labyrinth behind her homestead who tells her she is destined to be a princess in the Underworld. It's a beautiful blending of dark fantasy and sometimes darker historical fiction. Definitely worth seeing.

Chapel practice is after lunch. I love chapel. Worship is where I renew my spirit to face the rest of the week. It's a time where I can forget the rest of the world and meet with God. Right now I'm praying over Outcry auditions this weekend. Prayers would be appreciated.

I'm looking forward to hanging out with my friends tonight. It's the part of the day I look forward to from the moment I wake up. My friends bring me so much joy and our adventures just keep getting better and better.

Okay, time for a song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3sr6umaq8w This one is for the people I know who are really stressing right now. It's a song by Downhere called Living the Dream. I think it's relevant to everyone stuck in the rut of end-of-semester work. Yes, classes are tough and homework's brutal, but it's our choice in how we deal with it. We have a God who can take away our stresses and fears with a single word. Maybe you're tired. Maybe you're frustrated. But hey. This is real life. We don't have a choice in whether we have trials. What we do have is a choice in response: will our adventures be dreadful or joyful?

I could tell you my answer, but I think you can figure it out.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.