Leave Behind

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “time heals all wounds” but what he failed to mention was the scars those wounds leave behind. The painful things that happen to us permanently leave their mark. They don’t necessarily hurt anymore, but they’re always there as a reminder, as a memory. And as time passes maybe the memory gets a little fuzzy. But we always have the scar to remind us it happened, that we lived through it, that we survived. 

nothing and therefore everything

At university, something happens pretty much every day. I am glad. But it usually takes just 24 hours for it to lose its importance because something else has happened. University is permanent distraction.

I sometimes miss spending entire days in my head, having the space to think about nothing—and therefore everything. I try in vain to get back to that zone whenever I’m sitting outside by myself. I used to enjoy the sounds of Commute line trains going past every few minutes and the children at playtime in the kindergarten next to my campus building, but now I don’t even notice them—they’re just noise.

I’ve  been a part of college student for 2 years, and now my lives are so intimately entangled. By far the most complicated thing to manage is everyone’s romantic lives. It all feels very futile and confusing, but maybe living like this is a kind of jump-start on life. Things begin and end very quickly and we doubt there will be happy endings all around. 

Legally Free Music!

I am a huge fan of legally free music on the internet, and NPR’s First Listen is bookmarked on my computer. The show premieres full-length albums before their actual release dates. New ones are added weekly, and this week they’re streaming Typhoon’s White Lighter. Typhoon is the brainchild of Kyle Morton, from Portland, Oregon, but the band itself (above) is a big, noisy ensemble of constantly changing members. Their album is the kind that screams FALL to me and makes me really excited for the upcoming months. NPR also is streaming Valerie June’s debut album, Pushin’ Against a Stone, which is mellow and rich and perfect to listen to on a Saturday afternoon.