Monday, September 28, 2009

A new friend will change an old routine...

I've never been the sort to put much stock in fortunes, horoscopes, or wishes at 12:34 (whether it's a.m. or p.m.). This notwithstanding, when I get Chinese take-out I almost always save that slip of paper. On one particular occasion, I cracked open the cookie to find a fortune that read "A new friend will change an old routine." I thought: "Sweet." And even though I don't believe in fortune telling, I kept my eyes open for when my "old" routine would be changed. On days like today, I begin to feel impatient -- I've overslept, spent a majority of the day in pajamas, watched youtube videos and no new friend came along to change this "old" routine. Obviously, such a day could only lead to some serious self-reflection and during some deep soul searching the fortune "A new friend will change an old routine" came to mind. I don't remember when I got this particular fortune, and although I save all these potentially profound slips of paper, I have no idea where it is at this point. Yet, in any case, it came to mind. I reflected on new friends I had gained in the past year and one particular instant when during the seven-week break from school I was introduced to a new friend, without whom I would not have been hired at the Writing Center, which opened up my social field to include some really great people and made me feel once again that writing out my own thoughts and ideals can be fun and rewarding without the pressure of getting that all hallowed letter grade. So today, while I wait for this elusive new friend to break up my routine, I write for me.