Small Moments & The Log Flume

Not everything in life is big moments. I just was trying to explain the reasons why I love something to a friend and the response I got was, 'but nothing really happens.'

I feel like often times, we tend to look for the big moments, either when in the present, always trying to make it count, to make it a memorable day or night, or looking back, highlighting the most outwardly spectacular nights as the times we are fond of. It's easy to think of the biggest moments of college, that legendary party, or all-nighters, the trips, etc. But sometimes, there are some great moments that happen effortlessly. They were not planned and even while they are happening they might not seem like much.

I honestly can't remember if this was Freshman year or Sophomore year, but I have a feeling it is the latter. One night, when it was comfortable enough outside, myself, Claire, and Meghan decided to go hang out outside. It was not a weekend night, or a Tuesday. It was not early either. We walked over to the Deli and got coffee. Actually Meg got a Chai Tea and I made sure to share my distaste for all things tea. (Yes I am sure you are surprised to find out that I was outwardly opinionated about something at one point in my life, but it happened).

Nothing significant happened that night. We didn't get together to talk over something earth shattering, or to sort through some unwanted drama. We got together, despite the time, or the day of the week, and just hung out, outside. I remember it being totally empty as if there wasn't a soul left on campus. We sat on the grass of Martyrs lawn, drinking our coffee (or tea) and just talking about nothing in particular. We stayed out there for a while, even after we had all acknowledged that it was getting cold. There are plenty of down-time conversations that have occurred over the years, but I think I remember this one because it wasn't typical in its setting. Something about it, even then felt different, about going outside despite it being midnight and it getting colder, and just going to sit on the grass for awhile. I think we all have moments that we remember even though nothing in them stands out.

None of us needed to be anywhere at that point. Like so much of college, we had time to kill. Maybe it'd be considered killing it or wasting it, what we did, but we opted, in my mind, not to kill it. Instead of spending it alone, on a computer, in front of a tv, in our separate rooms, we spent it together, outside.

I think that's one thing that anyone who has finished college will point out as something that does not exist anymore: time to kill. I think never in our lives, before or after college do we all have as much time on our hands as we do now. From here on out, we go our own ways, we get our careers, further schooling, job markets, and then families, and so on. I am pretty sure this point in our lives is like the lull of the log flume. Everything before college is like that hill on the way up. Then you hit college and there's less urgency than there had been before. You reach that U shaped leveled out section where you just kinda float idly and bump into the wall a few times, waiting and preparing. Right now were are nearing the drop and everything is about to speed up, there's going to be a lot of screaming.

And as we do so it becomes more apparent that I am really going to miss all of this time and all of these moments where things seemed to slow down and nothing but the present mattered.