Thursday Nights

9-25-09

I love Thursday nights.

Why?

I love Thursday nights because I get to go over to the Coopers' home, chill with old and new friends, (usually) eat a snack, and watch The Office. Those last two are my least important reasons. I'd go over there if there wasn't food, and I'd go over if there wasn't any of The Office (which, by the way, is awkwardly hilarious).

Yesterday, as I was waiting for a ride to materialize (since I don't have enough gas money to power my own vehicle), I realized how much I looked forward to going over to their house. And I realized that it wasn't because of watching some television show. I could just as well watch it on nbc.com, along with scenes not played on the airing. But there's something wonderful in cramming twenty or so people into the room the Coopers have their television in. There was people on the couch, on the floor, on couch cushions from another couch, and lying on the floor. We were all comfortable (at least, I know I was, and I'm pretty sure everyone else was), and we laughed together and talked during commercials. I loved it not because of the television show, but because of being with the people. (Have I mentioned that living on Ebeye made me a more sociable person? And a more social one?)

I realized that I've been missing interaction between people, and that I've been longing for a world where everything was not so rush rush rush. It would be nice to live in such a manner that I wouldn't have to worry about being late because I'm having a great conversation with someone, to live without the tyranny of the clock, of the watch, of the alarm, etc.,.

I know, I know, it's a cultural difference between America and the Marshalls, but...I prefer people over appointments and homework and what not. Now, anyway. Two years ago I used my mountains of homework to hide away from people, as a sort of acceptable excuse to get out of their presence. Now it's an obstacle to building relationships. There are so many jokes made about my university and marriages, about nursing and theology students, and so on, but I sometimes wonder how everyone had the time to really get to know each other and get to that point.

*sigh* Learning to re-balance everything (plus a few new things) is sort of difficult. I'm more re-adjusted than I was the first full week of school, but every so often something pops up, like wasted food at the cafeteria or the above story. Just a reminder, I suppose, of the fact that I changed and now want to live with the change.

More later.