It goes down the same as the thousands before.
Aside from awakening with one of the worst headache's of my life, my Thanksgiving Day was pleasantly spent in the gracious household of my comrade and his kin. As I sat up amidst the disheveled sheets of my bed, my head felt as if it were spinning in all sorts of directions, glancing in the mirror only to notice both of my eyes were nigh bloodshot. Now, ordinarily I wouldn't bother putting much concern in my morning appearance, however considering the agenda for the day was to spend it at my comrades homestead, the idea of looking strung out in front of his family didn't seem very bright. As I willed myself out of bed to cleanse and spruce myself up, fortunately by the time I was finished my eyes had regained a healthy color and the throbbing ache in my head faded. When my mother and I arrived at my comrades residence, my mother conversed with my comrades parents while I was whisked away to the Den, where all of our time was basically spent surfing the internet for anything intriguing to pass the time. Dinner was undoubtedly heartening, much different from the gatherings I recall with my relatives. Unfortunately, my branch of kin on my father's side is very tightly knit, therefore attempting to integrate with them is futile. I still remember the awkwardness I felt sitting at the table with my relatives as they bellowed out laughter from inside jokes I could never have fathomed, most gatherings usually ended with my cousins and I assembling in another room while building forts out of couch cushions and having wrestling competitions. In summation, I honestly couldn't think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving than in the company of my brother and his family. Although, once more he persuaded me to try an oyster on a cracker, which tasted rather odd with a rubbery texture. I also feigned a slight grimace when my mother offered me a sip of a margarita, although in all honesty I detest the taste of alcohol and liquor, she honestly has no clue how much i've drank, which sounds kind of sad now that i'm saying it in a proud manner.
Recently I witnessed something that had more of an effect on me than one would think. As I traversed to the nearby public library i've become a patron of, I gave a single glance over my shoulder just in time to see a young child sprinting to the revolving door at the entrance, laughing as he pushed past it. I couldn't help but smile inwardly, just the sight of someone that happy over something most people wouldn't dream of finding humor in. It really goes to show that it shouldn't take a miracle to make someone happy. Witnessing that happiness made me take a breath of fresh air that day, for just a little while it made my outlook on the world we live in change. Little moments such as this have held great impact on the way I view aspects of life. Another instance just recently which lingered in my mind was when my comrade and I had decided to pay the nearby mall a visit, where I sat in a booth in the food court whilst my comrade went to get us sustenance. While I sat with a stoic expression on my face and a deadpan attitude, I noticed an elderly man using a walking cane sit at a nearby table. Just as he sat down, he and I exchanged eye-contact once before looking away, thinking absolutely nothing of one another. He, an old man looking stereotypically crabby and jaded of everything, and me, the apathetic and disrespectful young man. Although I couldn't say for sure that this was the atmosphere between us, the expressions in our eyes implied as much. Suddenly, the walking cane the old man had leaned against the side of the table he sat at fell over to the ground, which suddenly caused both he and I to lock gazes once more. It had become a situation where my decision would determine how true the stereotypes were, for had I wished, I could have turned my head away as if I hadn't noticed and made the elderly man pick up his own fallen walking cane, however without putting that much thought into it, after we locked gazes, I stood up from the booth and I walked over to him, crouching down and picking up the fallen walking cane, handing it to him while I gave a smile and a nod, accepting his verbal gratitude before going back to my booth. Throughout my life, i've always tried to be as helpful as I could whenever the situation calls for it, whether it's opening the door for someone, or moving to help them when they've dropped something. I remember once in middle school, a girl who sat beside me had once dropped her books, and I had hesitated to reach down to help her, so she gave me a lopsided smile before leaning down to retrieve the fallen books. That single instance had etched in my mind for years afterwards, I felt so guilty for not moving to help her right away. I honestly felt shameful of that. It's funny how a single moment of regret can make you question how good a person you are.
Speaking of questioning myself as a person, one thought has always bothered me, that which is i've always felt as if i've been a step below success. Just recently, when I took a test to determine whether or not I would eligible for enlisting in the Naval Reserve, my score was one point below honors. I feel as though this could be compared to my accomplishments in life, no matter what I try to achieve, I feel as though i'm always a step below great, which is very discouraging for ambition. Of course, there is the phrase that there is always someone better, to be the best at something is quite the rarity, i've just always thought it was frustrating that i've never been considered in the same league as those who are notably successful. There are those who possess the capability of needing little to no preparation or study to ace a test or exam, unfortunately, I am not one of those. Studying would obviously be the reasonable resolution for that, however i've never had the patience for sitting myself down and having the self-discipline to study, which is why my grades in school were considerably lower than they should have been. I settled for average when I should have strove for excellence. It's frustrating to think you're good at some things but not great at anything. Needless to say, i've yet to find the path to learn my place in the world, which is one of my personal reasons for showing interest in the Navy. Far be it from me to even try and sound arrogant of my own capabilities, i'm one of the most insecure individuals I know, and i've helped a great many regarding self-confidence and faith. I've been given advice by great people who I have the privilege of knowing as friends, and I only hope that i'll never let them down.
Unexpectedly, earlier in the week I haphazardly ran into an old high school friend of mine named Gigi, a Romanian sweetheart who, like me, had shown interest in the dramatic arts. Although I eventually found out she had liked me more than a friend, part of why we lost touch was due to the fact that her younger sister, Linda, had seriously began liking me, and I hadn't the nerve to blatantly say I thought she was too young. I remember grimacing when she told me once she thought I was the one because I had been one of the only guys she had known that hadn't attempted to get into her pants. Regardless, the two girls are very sweet and were good friends, and I really shouldn't have allowed my friendship with them to dissipate. As we ran into one another, she had a male companion with her who seemed to be eyeing me more than she, however I quickly brushed that thought aside, I was fairly certain the two were involved by an affectionate gesture he gave of reaching out to brush back a strand of her hair. It's funny how you can really tell when someone is trying to impress you by the firmness of their handshake, I bit back a cheshire grin when he and I shook hands. Apparently, she must have spoken quite highly of me prior to having even met him, which i'm guessing is why he seemed rather excited to meet me. It's always good to see old friends doing well.
Sometimes you find friends in the unlikeliest of places.
Alas, now I bask in the subconsciousness of my slumber.
Recently I witnessed something that had more of an effect on me than one would think. As I traversed to the nearby public library i've become a patron of, I gave a single glance over my shoulder just in time to see a young child sprinting to the revolving door at the entrance, laughing as he pushed past it. I couldn't help but smile inwardly, just the sight of someone that happy over something most people wouldn't dream of finding humor in. It really goes to show that it shouldn't take a miracle to make someone happy. Witnessing that happiness made me take a breath of fresh air that day, for just a little while it made my outlook on the world we live in change. Little moments such as this have held great impact on the way I view aspects of life. Another instance just recently which lingered in my mind was when my comrade and I had decided to pay the nearby mall a visit, where I sat in a booth in the food court whilst my comrade went to get us sustenance. While I sat with a stoic expression on my face and a deadpan attitude, I noticed an elderly man using a walking cane sit at a nearby table. Just as he sat down, he and I exchanged eye-contact once before looking away, thinking absolutely nothing of one another. He, an old man looking stereotypically crabby and jaded of everything, and me, the apathetic and disrespectful young man. Although I couldn't say for sure that this was the atmosphere between us, the expressions in our eyes implied as much. Suddenly, the walking cane the old man had leaned against the side of the table he sat at fell over to the ground, which suddenly caused both he and I to lock gazes once more. It had become a situation where my decision would determine how true the stereotypes were, for had I wished, I could have turned my head away as if I hadn't noticed and made the elderly man pick up his own fallen walking cane, however without putting that much thought into it, after we locked gazes, I stood up from the booth and I walked over to him, crouching down and picking up the fallen walking cane, handing it to him while I gave a smile and a nod, accepting his verbal gratitude before going back to my booth. Throughout my life, i've always tried to be as helpful as I could whenever the situation calls for it, whether it's opening the door for someone, or moving to help them when they've dropped something. I remember once in middle school, a girl who sat beside me had once dropped her books, and I had hesitated to reach down to help her, so she gave me a lopsided smile before leaning down to retrieve the fallen books. That single instance had etched in my mind for years afterwards, I felt so guilty for not moving to help her right away. I honestly felt shameful of that. It's funny how a single moment of regret can make you question how good a person you are.
Speaking of questioning myself as a person, one thought has always bothered me, that which is i've always felt as if i've been a step below success. Just recently, when I took a test to determine whether or not I would eligible for enlisting in the Naval Reserve, my score was one point below honors. I feel as though this could be compared to my accomplishments in life, no matter what I try to achieve, I feel as though i'm always a step below great, which is very discouraging for ambition. Of course, there is the phrase that there is always someone better, to be the best at something is quite the rarity, i've just always thought it was frustrating that i've never been considered in the same league as those who are notably successful. There are those who possess the capability of needing little to no preparation or study to ace a test or exam, unfortunately, I am not one of those. Studying would obviously be the reasonable resolution for that, however i've never had the patience for sitting myself down and having the self-discipline to study, which is why my grades in school were considerably lower than they should have been. I settled for average when I should have strove for excellence. It's frustrating to think you're good at some things but not great at anything. Needless to say, i've yet to find the path to learn my place in the world, which is one of my personal reasons for showing interest in the Navy. Far be it from me to even try and sound arrogant of my own capabilities, i'm one of the most insecure individuals I know, and i've helped a great many regarding self-confidence and faith. I've been given advice by great people who I have the privilege of knowing as friends, and I only hope that i'll never let them down.
Unexpectedly, earlier in the week I haphazardly ran into an old high school friend of mine named Gigi, a Romanian sweetheart who, like me, had shown interest in the dramatic arts. Although I eventually found out she had liked me more than a friend, part of why we lost touch was due to the fact that her younger sister, Linda, had seriously began liking me, and I hadn't the nerve to blatantly say I thought she was too young. I remember grimacing when she told me once she thought I was the one because I had been one of the only guys she had known that hadn't attempted to get into her pants. Regardless, the two girls are very sweet and were good friends, and I really shouldn't have allowed my friendship with them to dissipate. As we ran into one another, she had a male companion with her who seemed to be eyeing me more than she, however I quickly brushed that thought aside, I was fairly certain the two were involved by an affectionate gesture he gave of reaching out to brush back a strand of her hair. It's funny how you can really tell when someone is trying to impress you by the firmness of their handshake, I bit back a cheshire grin when he and I shook hands. Apparently, she must have spoken quite highly of me prior to having even met him, which i'm guessing is why he seemed rather excited to meet me. It's always good to see old friends doing well.
Sometimes you find friends in the unlikeliest of places.
Alas, now I bask in the subconsciousness of my slumber.