Parking garages are great.
To me, they’re like small (well I guess they aren’t that small) getaway places. Maybe it’s a short person thing, but I love reaching the top of high places and seeing a fantastic view. Granted, I am kind of scared of heights and do not like to climb. But I do love a fantastic view and seem to be more excited than most about them.
So, right now, I’m on top of a parking garage. It’s one of my old favorite spots that I have often gone to since I started college. Someone took me up here once about a month before I started college and I designated it as my spot ever since. I’ve cried here, watched the sunset here, prayed here, tried setting my architecture project on fire up here, and a lot more. A couple years have gone by and it feels kind of odd as I realize that I’ve had so many memories here. I can also pinpoint the spots where I’ve sat and cried, or my friends and I tried lighting my 1st and only semester architecture project on fire. I imagine the shadows of our presence moving about as I recreate the scene in my head. I can honestly say that I occupied that very spot 2 years ago for a brief moment in time. A moment so brief, that thousands of other people have also occupied that very spot as well. Our shadows just moving through time as we touch different places, different things, and different people, leaving a mark somewhere, on someone, mostly unseen and unknown.
Ha. Sorry. Parking garages can often put me in a deep, thoughtful mood I suppose. Who am I kidding? I’m always thinking and always pondering weird things. Anyways….
As I sit here on top, I look out upon the city with the wind blowing in my face. There are so many lights. There’s nothing quite like a night time view of the city. So many lights, many representing the presence of a human life. That would be kind of cool if that’s how we saw each other, don’t ya think? Just lights floating in a dark abyss. Maybe we are like that, just looking through the wrong eyes.
I kind of am amusing myself by writing my blog on top of the parking garage. I knew I just had to do it when I had the idea. I couldn’t pretend, but I literally had to go up to the top and sit and write, like I’m doing now. So many topics ran through my head, but now, all I can think about is how there are so many people in the world and each of us, just occupying this earth for just a brief instance. I was talking about immortality and the notion of forever with a few people the other day and we discussed how life has meaning and value because it ends. When you see a flower, you don’t know if that will be the last time you see it before it dies. The same with a person. When you see someone, you cherish them because you don’t know if you’ll get another moment like that again. You hang onto it and value it because it makes you happy.
With the semester drawing to a close, I’m excited for summer and the endless amounts of possibilities that await before me. Lately, I’ve been reminding myself to say ‘no’ and not be busy with all sort of nonsense. It’s so easy to do. I fill my schedule up with classes, volunteer stuff, and jobs. I have to fit eating and sleeping in there, which often get neglected. But really, being busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be happy or have a better life. No. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. And while I feel like I tried that this semester, I feel like it’s something I have to keep reminding myself. I have to say “no”. Already, I caught myself looking at other summer internships and volunteering at a print studio, thinking about how the experience would be good. I finally closed my email and said, “No! I want a nice relaxing summer for once. For crying out loud, I want a nice relaxing week.”
I think that’s what I want to do this summer; keep it relaxed and full of things that I’m going to enjoy doing. Sure, I’m taking one summer course, but that leaves many of my nights open for fun. Many of my friends will be in town with me and I hope to have many dinners with them and make new friends. I want to keep going on adventures. A few days ago, I snuck into the pool area of a resort with 2 friends and we sat around the hot tub, discussing our years and all the lessons we learned. We then moved to sitting around the fire pit and staring up at the starry sky. I loved it so much. A fantastic, perfect evening. The next day, I hung out with a close friend and he and I found a great view of the city and sat and talked. We then went to visit some of his friends. It was me and 3 other people and I have to admit, I enjoyed our conversations greatly. We too, sat around a hot tub with our feet in the water, just talking and discussing life. The next day, I cooked dinner for my Bible Study and had a blast with all the people I had gotten to know throughout the year. I’ve really been blessed with so many people and even the privilege of meeting new people and making new friends. I want to continue to do so this and so much more.
This is the time where I have the most freedom. I am on my own and my schedule and time are all mine. I’m not seriously committed to anyone and my family is in a different city. I have friends to go on adventures with and enough resources to get me where I need to go. There are just so many possibilities to create a fun filled summer and I don't want to miss a beat.
Maybe you think I'm putting too much pressure on my summer. But like life, this summer, will eventually end, and I don't want to waste it. I really need to start applying this philosophy to every part of my life. And the thing is, by "not wasting it", means I also get to stop and do absolutely nothing. Live in the peace of just being and being present in the moment. Not rushing anywhere or feeling obligated to do anything. In that, I hope to find balance between being productive and resting.
Summer is here! Let's do this! :)
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