What I do when I arrive from school is almost scheduled: I get home, I put my bike into its place in the garage, I come upstairs, and then I settle down and begin checking email, reading random things, and (finally) doing homework.
Yet one very special Thursday, I found that this was not what had happened on that fateful afternoon I set down my backpack, laid back into my chair, and pressed the power switch on my computer.
Because the thing was, up to that point, nothing had changed. I was expecting a normal day, another one with homework and schoolwork and at least one annoying chain mail message, and all that good stuff.
Instead, I got none of that. Because when I pressed the power switch on my computer, absolutely nothing happened.
From the moment I set my eyes on the saturated colors and vivid patterns of the Narrows trail in Zion National Park, I knew that this hike was worth it.
[This article has been revised as of July 30, 2009.]
Loving Love
Recently my mother left for a business trip in China. She flew away one evening and that was when I found my dad and I were alone. Suddenly, instead of coming home each day from school with my mom grinning at me through the glass, I found myself fumbling for the keys.
The house was hot and musty as if no one had lived in it for days. I would set down my things and get to work doing homework and all the other things that were important. My dad came home early each day to pick me up to swimming practice. He would pick me back up and we would eat dinner.
Each day seemed incredibly boring. I found myself almost nodding off into sleep in many times. I reminded myself that my mom was coming back soon, and I eagerly waited for that day.
The day my mother’s airplane landed was yesterday. I eagerly waited for this day, a reminder of all the happy things we had done together. I was furious when I discovered it was a late flight. Technically this counted as landing the next day, I told myself. Read More »