Take a Break and Breathe

We're in the midst of studying for finals.  It's dead week, and we seem to be stuck in the rough.  The study nerds of LMU (yes, you know who  you are: Tutu, Lexie, Claire...) are going crazy. Though we don't want school to be over, the light at the end of the finals tunnel looks so appealing.  My solution was to take a break and just breathe.  I journeyed to the bluff in search of a little tranquility, and that's just what I found.

They greeted me on my way to the edge of the bluff.  It was a woman clad in a fluid bronze dress holding a newborn baby, raised towards the heavens and destined for great things.  Both of them, trapped in a moment within themselves, and looking up at the world.

Reverent Pair

Once past the eternally bound pair, I looked down.  I couldn't help but be drawn in by the vibrant sprinkler color.  It must not work nearly as well as the sprinkler designer, judging by the sparsity of the immediate foliage.  It seems that looking down often renders similar results as this sprinkler.

Looking Down

I made it to the bluff, sat down on my favorite bench, and popped in my iPod.  I attempted a guided meditation on emotions.  Though I don't think it had as drastic of an effect on me as it is probably made to, I felt a certain clarity.  There's something surreal about being in complete connectedness with your internal emotions, rather than our constant looking outwards.

Looking Outwards

It seems the farther we look out, the less precious our world becomes.  In this fast-paced technologically-driven world, we spend so much time thinking about the latest trends and fashions that will make us stand out in the eyes of the world.  To a certain extent, this is our culture and we need to be conscious of it.  What we need to do though, is take a step back and look at ourselves introspectively.  We need to see our bountiful collection of yellow flowers- not our dumpsters- no matter how great the stress.  Instead of looking out, look in.  Instead of looking down, look up.

Looking Up

When we take a moment for ourselves, we notice the most beautiful things our world has to offer.  Take a break and breath: look in and look up.  And of course, rock those finals.