Back in the surf
The land I love, Miami, FL was a balmy 80 something degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. Humid, sexy, and beautiful, I sat by the bay waiting for my last class of the day to begin and end as quickly as possible. Yes, Spring semester has begun, and so far things feel fitting and familiar. But admittedly, I am not ready for the semester workload and wish I had just a little more time off to enjoy the place that has made me entirely smitten. For this past weekend, I arrived back in Miami from a month stint in Ohio. My entire "winter vacation" spent in a place where it really is winter, and even though I love that I was able to spend time with my family and friends, I missed the warmth of the Miami air, the sound of the boats in the Intracoastal, and the lapping of the ocean tide. I especially missed Florida's scurrying anoles, geckos, and iguanas whose very existence remind me of how privileged I am to live in such a tropical paradise.
But back in Ohio, it all really wasn't as bad as I feared. For my fear lay tangled in the thought of the bone bitter cold, and the dread of sitting around the house locked in from the gray and gloom that spread vastly outside all mid-west windows. I do not like the winter; loathe it. Just the thought of loathing it makes me depressed. But family and friends left me warm and satisfied, and a chance to work full time back at Whole Foods with my organic friends gave me greater purpose for my choice to spend so much time away. Still, with what little free time I had left, I still managed to keep my fitness in check, despite all of the delicious holiday crap-food consumed. An indoor running track is only a blessing in wintery hell... including all 540 mindlessly repetitive laps of muscle burning glory that comes with. Vacation in Ohio? Ha! Send me to Tahiti...
But maybe this semester already feels a bit like a vacation. So far, I have no homework and am taking one less class than last semester. And by the good graces of FIU, I get to keep my scholarship for the rest of the year even though I did not succeed in achieving a 3.0, nor am I taking 15 credit hours this semester. But things always seem to have a way of working themselves out, and I am glad that this saying actually holds true. Now that I have returned back to Miami refreshed and recharged, I feel better prepared at balancing my work with fun. Afterall, everything I need can be found right here in my own backyard, and it's an immensely comforting thought.
But back in Ohio, it all really wasn't as bad as I feared. For my fear lay tangled in the thought of the bone bitter cold, and the dread of sitting around the house locked in from the gray and gloom that spread vastly outside all mid-west windows. I do not like the winter; loathe it. Just the thought of loathing it makes me depressed. But family and friends left me warm and satisfied, and a chance to work full time back at Whole Foods with my organic friends gave me greater purpose for my choice to spend so much time away. Still, with what little free time I had left, I still managed to keep my fitness in check, despite all of the delicious holiday crap-food consumed. An indoor running track is only a blessing in wintery hell... including all 540 mindlessly repetitive laps of muscle burning glory that comes with. Vacation in Ohio? Ha! Send me to Tahiti...
But maybe this semester already feels a bit like a vacation. So far, I have no homework and am taking one less class than last semester. And by the good graces of FIU, I get to keep my scholarship for the rest of the year even though I did not succeed in achieving a 3.0, nor am I taking 15 credit hours this semester. But things always seem to have a way of working themselves out, and I am glad that this saying actually holds true. Now that I have returned back to Miami refreshed and recharged, I feel better prepared at balancing my work with fun. Afterall, everything I need can be found right here in my own backyard, and it's an immensely comforting thought.
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Love you.