Day 106: Visits from Home

My midterms and projects were finally completed and the evening rolled around with a cool breeze and a soft sunset. To complete the seemingly perfect end to a less than stellar week, my father came up the mountain to visit me for Fall Break. After not having seen my father in over two months, it was nice to sit down for dinner with him and talk about life. The stress of the week for both of us melted away as we talked about anything that came to mind and I caught up on the local news for my town. 

Having my father come to see me was enjoyable and the evening passed very quickly. We had a wonderful dish of meat and mushrooms for dinner and I ate until I was too full to do much more than lounge around and groan at how full I was. There was no way I was venturing out for a walk. To finish the evening off I talked late into the evening with my roommate. 

Whenever my family visits I am always reminded of my home and the life I spent nearly two decades building. It is so hard to step away from everything I have ever known, and part of me wonders if I was ever meant to leave home. I quite like how the culture of the hobbits functions, generations of families living in the same town and rarely venturing far from home. That said, I have found that I tend to romanticize Tolkien’s world in a bid to escape from my own modern travesty. Though the years though, I have come to recognize that any life has its virtues and vices, its advantages and drawbacks, its simple pleasures and times of sorrow. That would be the same for my life and for the life of a hobbit. I try to remind myself of this as I sit here and long for the simple life of a hobbit in light of my father’s visit. I have been blessed with a good life here at school and a marvelous opportunity to learn. So for the moment I recognize that Middle Earth is far beyond my grasp, and as much as I wish for home and the life I led there with my family, there is an incredible opportunity out there for me in the world of academia. So far know I remain a hobbit at heart in the modern world, venturing far from home and into a life foreign to me that I have the honour of exploring. 

The Road Goes Ever On and On, 

~ Daisy Buttons

Day 105: Midterms

For the past few days I have been unable to venture forth into the world to continue my journey to Mordor. Mid-terms have come and as always, they hit all at once. Over the past few days I have had to sit an examination or turn in a major project in all of my classes. Stress levels are high and sleep is almost nonexistent. I have been subsisting on highly caffeinated tea and the stash of granola bars and macaroni kept in my closet for emergencies.

One more day, two finals, and one project stands between me and freedom. It always amazes me how one day can drag out and leave me gasping for the air of a new one. There is so much to do and I have unfortunately left it all for the end. A warm rain and stagnant, humid air are my only companions as I work through the night, but I am always comforted that a new day will come, eventually, sometime in the distant future and then I will continue my journey on through Middle Earth. Until then I will continue to despair and procrastinate by writing this drivel instead of studying for midterms. 

The Road Goes Ever On and On
~ Daisy Buttons