Better By Nightfall

I spent most of the day at my office. I've come to find that I enjoy going in on the weekends when no one else is around. Not only is the office silent, but the whole building is noiseless. . .except for the minor creaks of the floor. It is muted bliss. It is a simple escape in a comfortable and familiar place. Strangely, it has become a sort of solitude. A surreal departure from the distractions that seem to plague me at home.

While I love being home, I've come to find that I simply cannot concentrate within the confines of these whitewashed cinderblock walls. Perhaps it is too confining. Perhaps I feel like I need to have the TV on all the time. Whatever the case may be, I simply cannot work as well I used to be able to in the apartment.

Suffice to say, I was able to accomplish a great deal in my time away from home. I read. I graded. I e-mailed. I wrote. I found some sort of "peace" in the chaos that is my life as a graduate student, a teacher, and club president. Though I feel behind the curve on some of my studies (especially when it comes to writing my conference paper), I honestly don't feel bad. For once, while I was sitting in the office today, I didn't feel hurried or rushed. I didn't feel bothered. I didn't feel empty or alone. Instead, I felt relaxed. I felt like I was working at my own pace in my own time with no one over my shoulder. It was a relief.

I only hope I will be able to continue dropping by when no one else is around. The solace the space provides is slim at best, but it is enough to revivify my waning motivation for the coursework ahead and all around me. And right now, it is something I need to keep me moving along.