Be not afraid.

Some Corner, Anywhere, USA

“The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places." -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I pass this awkward little alcove almost everyday, but did not notice it until I was thinking about the “Body in Place” art assignment.  Since then, each time I pass it I cannot help being struck by the mystery of it.  It’s such an fascinating spot because it has no apparent purpose.  Why is it there?  When the building was being designed, why did they choose to include it?  What is the story behind this space?

So many questions... yet no apparent answers.  I decided to answer them by giving this space a purpose, even if only for a moment.

From dark to light...

From abandonment to being wanted...

From feeling purposeless to discovering what you were made for...

                                              ...the journey will take you all the way back home.

“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” ~ Bill Watterson

“When you look at a piece of delicately spun glass, you think of two things: how beautiful it is and how easily it can be broken.” -Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie.

Perhaps a hot-air balloon scene constructed of cheerios, cream cheese, pretzels, and dish soap is not quite as beautiful or fragile as glass, but it does have an appearance of order and permanence.  

Lost Childhood Object:

When my friend was little, she wore (and accidentally stole) a little pink plastic princess ring out of a store.  Unfortunately, though she lost it.  Here is a photograph of her ring found again, lurking in pink and glittery nail polish, the remnants of a plastic cup, tape, and a gold gel pen.  It may look a little different now, but it will surely bring back memories as she wears this new ring.  

Super-commuters of Vandy

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away... there lived the Vandy super-commuters.  

For most Vandy students living on campus, their daily commute from dorm to class or various activities is quite reasonable.  But for some- the “super-commuters” - it’s a whole different story.  These select few reside in the legendary and distant Blakemore House (“Wait, is that actually on campus?”).  

According one such super-commuter, Barbara, choosing to live in Blakemore entails a lot of extra walking and requires her to be more intentional in putting forth effort to spend time with friends.  For her, though, the benefits outweigh the costs of living in such a faraway dorm.  She is able to live with two close friends in a beautiful, newer building which is actually conveniently located for her involvement with band.  All in all, her reviews were quite positive.  

Would the benefits outweigh the costs for you?  Will you be one of Vandy’s new super-commuters?  Weigh your options and find out during this upcoming housing lottery.  

All I Ever Wanted

“olivia's family tell each other "i love you" all the time. i can't remember the last time anyone in my family said that to me.” (quote and photocopy from the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio)

“Now I am home...

Surely this is all I ever wanted All I ever wanted All I ever wanted...”

(“All I Ever Wanted” from soundtrack of the movie “Prince of Egypt”)

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have...miles to go before I sleep.”

(from ”Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost) 

This snowy scene was constructed days after all (save a few piles here and there) of the snow had melted away.  I used some leftover snow/ice, whipped cream from a can, marshmallows, sticks, and blue construction paper to create this snowy woods scene.  Whose woods these are? I think I know... 

“We would have been safe.” Oscar in the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

This is one of the most striking lines I have ever encountered in a work of literature.  To this day, it continues to haunt me as it drips with the never-ending list of “If only”s and “What if”s that often cloud our minds.  However, may this take on Rothman’s painting be sobering and ground us in reality.  Having been reminded of the past and all it held (or didn’t), may we recognize that it is not in the past or the future that we will find the grace and strength that we need, but in the present.  In this very moment.