Take a Look Around

Recently, within the past two weeks, I have taken up being a night stocker at the local Target. My hours are not terrible but not what most would desire -- I arrive at four in the morning and typically leave some time after eight. The job itself puts no strain on the mind, in fact causing one to react mostly on muscle memory and common sense, but demands a fair amount of physical exertion -- I find myself exhausted after every shift. As fatigued as I might be I am unable to sleep when I arrive home. While my mind and body are indeed tired I am still filled with enough adrenaline, or something of the sort, to keep me awake for a good while. This may seem horrible but, in reality, is quite pleasant. When I come home from work I have a feeling of accomplishment, sort of a mixture of having just physically exerted myself and of completing another day of good, honest work. I also have the pleasure of enjoying the morning hours, something that I had not been privy to in the past -- if any of you out there are acquaintances of mine, and by reading this you most likely are, you know well my inability to go to bed on time and my fondness for sleep. As I sit by my window I hear the world stirring as it begins to wake; just ten to twenty minutes before I was surrounded by complete silence. The sky is a beautiful shade of bright blue without a cloud in sight and, despite being in Idaho, I am surrounded by green grass and even a few green trees. Everything is really quite lovely.

It's strange that I have never taken the time to notice my scenery until now. The other day my roommate, Alex Eaton, and I were discussing how on a trip home from school he drove beside me for a good twenty miles or so without me noticing. It would seem that I zone out almost completely except for that which is needed to keep me safe and alive. I was surprised to find I had not noticed this in the past. Now that I think about it maybe this bad habit carries over into other areas of my life. It's possible that I have gone through much of my life not appreciating or not noticing what surrounds me. It's amazing how much we miss when we are too focused on one thing.