For two days I've been locked inside my dorm room working on papers and proposals. Two days of stagnation. No, that's not true - the time alone wasn't without its merits and the work had to be done. But today I decided to get out and go somewhere with Sharon, a friend from class.
That somewhere turned out to be Lidl, a German grocery chain that has expanded into France. Getting to the store from Sharon's apartment required a short walk and a longer bus ride. Both of these were made more enjoyable by the conversation and the nice morning weather.
Upon entering the store I realized that I had visited a Lidl before that first weekend in Nantes when I was forced to stay in a hostel and bought food from a local grocery store. I hadn't recognized the name or the sign, but I did remember the yellow signs bearing prices hanging over everything.
On our way back to Sharon's apartment to drop our bags off before heading to IKEA the subject somehow turned to our own histories. I talked of many things: King William, college, plans for grad school, plans for the future, plans that I'd given up to have all those.
The story wasn't a long one, but it was still mine. And hearing it there on that bus as it was pouring from my mouth, it was like hearing it for the first time. So caught up in all the day-to-day, I sometimes forget that life is so much bigger than that. I forget how far I've come and just how much I've done. And I wondered if perhaps I'm sometimes a little too hard on myself and don't always give myself enough credit.
There are great moments of clarity in life. This was not one of them. But all the same, as I stepped off that bus, it seemed that I'd never seen the sun shine brighter.
That somewhere turned out to be Lidl, a German grocery chain that has expanded into France. Getting to the store from Sharon's apartment required a short walk and a longer bus ride. Both of these were made more enjoyable by the conversation and the nice morning weather.
Upon entering the store I realized that I had visited a Lidl before that first weekend in Nantes when I was forced to stay in a hostel and bought food from a local grocery store. I hadn't recognized the name or the sign, but I did remember the yellow signs bearing prices hanging over everything.
On our way back to Sharon's apartment to drop our bags off before heading to IKEA the subject somehow turned to our own histories. I talked of many things: King William, college, plans for grad school, plans for the future, plans that I'd given up to have all those.
The story wasn't a long one, but it was still mine. And hearing it there on that bus as it was pouring from my mouth, it was like hearing it for the first time. So caught up in all the day-to-day, I sometimes forget that life is so much bigger than that. I forget how far I've come and just how much I've done. And I wondered if perhaps I'm sometimes a little too hard on myself and don't always give myself enough credit.
There are great moments of clarity in life. This was not one of them. But all the same, as I stepped off that bus, it seemed that I'd never seen the sun shine brighter.
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