I hope you’ll find the joy in the everyday.

Your walk through campus does not have to be a slog— it is the first experience of your day, the moment where you step outside and enter into the flow of your surroundings. For me, I like to do so purposefully. If you are walking behind me, you will notice me hopping up onto the high curbs, taking a good turn-around, and jumping off. Sometimes I do it to break the monotony, to put a little exploration in the place where expectation resides. If I see something interesting, I want to experience it! Finding joy can be as simple as that.

I think it is important to walk while awake, in that way, even in the early hours of the morning. You might drag yourself through it and ignore the splendor, but what fun would that be? The morning is a special kind of thing that only happens once a day, and you get to be awash in that moment before you go to class. Some things are meant to be cherished!

Here is a shot that I got on the walk to my 9am:

(Image Credit: Author)

I like to take advantage of these things when an opportunity presents itself. In this way, a walk becomes a venture, and a simple curious look becomes a trip in and of itself. This following shot was taken on a cold morning, from the top of a parking garage:

 

(Image credit: Author)

In addition to these treasures on-campus, I would recommend exploring the immediate downtown! I am biased, of course, by my love of dogs, of which there are a great many in the downtown area. If there is one thing you should know about me, you should be aware that I stop for every dog, without fail.

Wandering with intent to discover is really something different. I love musing through downtown, seeing the little murals and projects built into the bricks of the space. Every so often, you discover subterranean shops or a brass memorial to a pig, and it keeps things interesting enough to ask: what next?

I believe that this anticipation of the new is extremely powerful, and perhaps the most important thing we can give to ourselves. Here is one of my favorite finds– it’s this little porthole, above chest height, that peeks into the ground floor of an elevator shaft. It is right behind a strip of cute little shops, including Duck Donuts, and it is so thoroughly out of place that I just had to climb up into it and check it all out. Honestly? A really chill hang.

(Image Credit: Author)

Being in a porthole is like being in a car, or being the only one with your head sticking out of the window. The people in the elevator could see you just fine, but they don’t. They choose not to by accepting the elevator as an elevator rather than, say, a secret submarine, or a vertical journey sans any stairs. When somebody waves at you– do you know the feeling?— they make the space alive by stepping into it. For everyone else looking down at their feet, they may as well be looking through the glass.

It’s things like this that make everything so much more special– you know? When you can look around you and experience your surroundings, even if there is nothing groundbreaking, you will find something noteworthy. I think that is what I wish to see more of, from Penn Staters and from people in general. Let’s get more eyes up, on the world– it really is remarkable.