in good company.

i haven't written since before spring break. i saw multiple Yankees spring training games, went to the beach and had 8 straight says of sunshine. as much of a blast as it was, I didn't feel the need to talk about how amazing it was, which it was. my intention is to write about specific things in human nature.

i had a fantastic weekend, and it was because of the company I was in-I know this because there were many points where it could have gone wrong. it held great potential to be a miserable weekend. but it wasn't.

it started with the Relay for Life. various errands and tasks had to be accomplished, and I was the one who was available and also had access to a car. the Relay for Life is a fantastic cause, and with it can come fantastic responsibility. i have seen this consume the life of my family, mostly my mother, every June for the past 9 years. now this chaos was infiltrating into my sorority. i quickly found myself in the hectic mindset that my mother is typically in. i would have gone from chaotic to clinically insane had it not been for the relaxed attitude of my roommate, the sense of humor of my friend Rob, who can make me laugh under virtually any circumstance, and the understanding of my sorority sister, Samantha. the event turned out to be a success and the school raised of $36,000 for cancer research. my friends are my sanity. living in a temporary state of confusion was well worth the efforts made. we then crammed into Samantha's car and went to Applebees. Rob, Myself, Lindsay, Stephanie, Jerry , and Elyse. no drama. no complaints. tons of fun.

saturday was much more relaxed as my friend Elyse from home, who has since transferred to Montclair was visiting and Rob came back from band practice to hang out for the evening.

sunday, we went to see Roots of Rebellion in a Battle of the Bands. with another cramped car and faulty directions, we headed off to the show in Teaneck. Stank (also known as Matt?!) drove because I hate Jersey drivers and he is much better at keeping his cool than I, which came in handy because we did get a little lost. some would argue that he is also a better driver, but that's not the issue. we arrived, rocked out, and then went to Applebees once again in a group of 20 people. 20 people who all had to wait for their meals. 20 people who had to sit still for an hour and a half. 20 people who were in different moods and mindsets. 20 people who all had to sit within a very close proximity of each other, whether or not they liked each other---or even knew each other.

though these events seem much less exciting than those of my spring break, they demonstrated once again how lucky I am to have fallen into my group of friends. as 20 people sat their awaiting their meals, I could hear a clear continuity of laughter from one end of the table to another. strangers, friends from other social groups, member of the band we went to see, band members girlfriends, fans, roommates, and friends all peacefully coexisting. it was at this moment I was truly thankful I am no longer in high school. nobody cared where they sat. Lindsey eats, drinks, and breathes this genre of music. Kurt and Rob play it. Jerry listens to jams from the 80's and decided 3 hours before the show that he wanted to go. but none of this mattered. there was no judgment--only acceptance. not only a welcoming of new people, but a genuine interest in who they were.

a friend of mine said "I just try and roll with what's cool, and blow off shit that sucks." although this does not appear as the most profound rhetoric, it is very applicable to my weekend. any hurtle we encountered, no matter how big or small, was handled in this manner, with the least amount of agony possible.

it amazes me when there is so much potential for disaster but everything turns out okay. without these obstacles, maybe I would not have learned so much about my friends this weekend. or about myself. i don't assume the worst in situations, I try to see the glass half full, or at the very least a quarter of the way there, but I am surprised and forever thankful when there are so many little things that can go wrong, and not a single one does. most importantly, I am thankful that i was able to surround myself with people who make this possible.

-k.