Reciprocity

Sometimes I forget just how easy it is to have fun. Maybe someone else would say that sitting in my housemate's room on the Thursday of spring break blogging about the joys of rest in Charleston is lame, but it seems to be working out pretty well for me. Laura is asleep (for the next 3 minutes), Cait is headed out to be social, and I am here. And that's it. Just the 3 of us at the moment, giving Charleston without school a chance. (Well, Laura has been living this way since graduation in December, but it's still pretty great that she's here too.)

The rain has been falling at an approximately constant pace since around 3p.m. when I sat down to do some much needed studying. Studying? Over spring break? Mmm, yes. But that's beside the point. The point IS, we're surrounded by some of the best relaxation. Yeah, it is nice to get the hell out of dodge every once in a while to see what else the world holds: you know, be open-minded and all that. (We did it Tuesday at Congaree National Park, props to great hiking http://www.nps.gov/cosw/index.htm.) But sometimes I can very heavily rely on an adventure, the aesthetics of it all in order to really enjoy myself, and forget what my home for now and the community here hold for me. This week I've been allowed to live a bit more freely, okay, actually much more freely. On any regular Monday, I'd be holed up in my bedroom intently studying French or finance, in what Laura likes to call a "serene" setting. It's pretty much assumed by all in the house that my room is not a place to play. But this past Monday, Laura broke the mold. She walked in (without knocking), started talking (no asking for permission to speak), not about anything in particular (because usually she just needs to ask a question) but actually just wanting to hang out. Then, Laura did the unthinkable. She sauntered right around me and my pile of paper (for card-making, not school), plodded right up to the edge of my tiny twin bed, put one knee up and hiked herself onto my sanctuary. She did it so nonchalantly. I stopped my work so abruptly. I could have cried. You see, it was never understood by me why my room was off limits to the limitless. My bed is not For Myself Only. I don't know why people are so frightened to walk into the front room, maybe I'm intimidating? But when Laura laid down on my bed that night, I knew that she was over this fear. I think I may have even shrieked with glee. Someone was on my bed! Laura was on my bed! She was just loving the plush, watching me at work, listening to my music. She really did break the mold. Because a few minutes later, Katherine came in and did the same thing, only on Emma's bed. Two people were just wanting to be with me in my room; they couldn't fathom the magnitude their efforts had on my heart. I'm a welcoming person. I'm a loving person. I'm a cool person. Kathleen realized this. She came in too. Soon the four of us where laughing, singing, and getting comfortable. And it was so natural. No one had ever attempted this. Crying would probably have scared them away, but tears of joy were welling. People love my room. People love my presence. My girlfriends love me.

This may sound like a bit of an overreaction. Of course I know that my friends love me, but the reaffirmation was helpful. And all this happened because the four of us (with the exception of Katherine, whose passport expired) decided to stay in the same city for our spring break. That night was easily one of my best moments this year, and I didn't even have to go anywhere. I stayed right here in Charleston, surrounded by my loves. It was that easy.