22. Sunscreen

Am I the only one who loves the smell of sunscreen?

Anyone? Anyone?

 Bueller?

I think that sometimes smells create more poignant memories than your other senses. I can smell something and associate it with an event that happened 12, maybe 14 years ago. I remember the most random things; the sweaty stench of the gym where I did gymnastics when I was six, and the chemical smell of the cleaner used at the school I went to when I was ten. Now whenever catch a scent, it brings back memories, good and bad.

For me, the memories associated with sunscreen are almost exclusively positive. The pungent, coconutty aroma reminds me of sweltering road trips and sandy beaches; of building forts in the woods that surrounded our house; of our hands stained crimson from picking pound upon pound of dusty raspberries to make into jam; of the endless, pleasantly uneventful days.

In short, sunscreen reminds me of everything that makes summer so great.

21. Freshly cut grass

Or, more specifically, the smell of freshly cut grass.

Because of some exams going on at my school this morning, our classes started over two hours late. By the time I drove to school, the sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, and it was an idyllic start to the perfect day. As I glided up to school, the smell of freshly cut grass wafted in through my window.

It's mornings like those when everything in this world is perfect, when all the puzzle pieces finally come together and make sense.

20. Friends

I've been thinking a lot recently about how lucky I've been to have all of the great friends that I do at my current school. They are some of the most loving, supportive, funny, and fun-loving people I have ever met. It hasn't always been that way; when I first moved to my current school, I was paralyzed by an intense workload and the massive number of students, and thus I struggled to make friends. But within the past year, I have finally found my niche, and bet dozens of wonderful people because of it. By taking notice of their values, and adapting some of those values as my own, I have become a more open-minded, conscientious person. They have taught me how to think through the repercussions of my own actions and words, and how to stand up for what you believe in. They have taught me how to have fun and make the most out of life. As cheesy as it sounds, my friends have made my school experience better than I could have ever imagined.

19. Chocolate

It was a rather overcast and gloomy day, in spite of the temperature hovering around the low 70's. I planned to write about sunscreen and it's various summertime associations, but it seemed a little hypocritical considering the weather....

so, chocolate!
'nuf said.

18. Cookies

As school is slowly grinding to a halt, classes are easing up and I finally have time to do those things that I enjoy so much. One of the things that I missed dearly is the simple joy of baking cookies. So last Tuesday (on a school night, no less) I resolved to bake a batch of shortbread. I proceeded to spend the next several hours calmly measuring, sifting, mixing, rolling; after a short stint in the oven, the resulting creations were a pale cream color, tinted just around the edges with caramel brown. The rich, buttery scent eminating from the oven wafted soothingly throughout the entire house. In spite of
the heat of the oven scalding my fingertips, it was impossible not to pull a jagged piece of cookie straight off the sheet.

Delicious.

17. Sunshine

Sorry I have been MIA for the past little while -- I had several weeks of grueling exams, and was completely drained afterwards. But I'm back, and will be posting more regularly again, now. School is almost done for the year, and I'm looking forward to the pleasantly long, uneventful days of summer.
In the month and a half that I have been gone, the weather has shifted schizophrenically between a gloomy overcast and a cloudless sunshine. It's impossible to dress for weather like that; you either wear shorts and freeze in the still-frigid mornings, or wear pants and boil in the pounding afternoon heat. But the sun seems to finally be here to stay. And there's nothing like nine months of dreary cloudiness to make you want to make the most of those three months of summer.

16. Rain

Over the past week or so, the weather has been beautiful, in a way that is not exactly typical for Washington; there has been lots of sunny skies and beautiful sunsets. But it was all too good to last, and the sky has reverted to the dark, dreary grey so typical of our state. It started last night with a blustering wind, accompanied by a light drizzle. But by the time the morning broke the drizzle had morphed in to a steady stream, coursing rivulets of water down my windshield and pooling in miniature oceans on the uneven parts of the sidewalk.
Just like any situation in life, you can look at the rain in a couple of ways. You can see it as a nuisance, with the chilling sky-tears ruining the sunshine, hiding any hope of summer for at least another week. Or, you can see the beauty in it all -- the  infinite, moody purples and greys and blues of the stormy sky, and the intricate patterns of water droplets as they splash onto the ground. You can notice the streetlamp-light being refracted and distorted by millions of atoms of water. You can admire the rays of sunlight breaking through the oppressive clouds, lightening the sky around them. Even if you don't enjoy the bone-chilling torrent itself (and I mean really, who can blame you?), you can still appreciate the rejuvenation and rebirth that the rain will bring; April showers bring May flowers, as the old adage goes.
In life, there has been, and always will be, challenges. And you can chose to complain and lament, recounting stories of the "good old days" when the sun shone brightly and the world was happy. Or, you can take a step back and find joy within sadness, beauty within pain. Even if, at the moment, it seems that all is lost, and that there is no benefit to all the endless struggles, you will come out on the other side a stronger, more compassionate person because of it.
So find the beauty in the dismal days; treasure the sunshine, but learn to enjoy the rain, too.

15. Music

There is not  much unique about my love of music -- it seems to be pretty much universal. But there's something about the notes that can connect with me in a way that almost nothing else can. It's not that I love a certain type, or will only listen to one genre; my musical tastes are broad and indiscriminate. I will listen to anything, from one-hit-wonder pop music to musicals to rap to punk rock. I love eighties songs (see my previous post on Kyrie Eleison), and I've got a soft spot for nineties music, because that's what I grew up listening to. But I will listen to pretty much everything.

Even country.

There are times when I'm most excited to go to the rink because it gives me an opportunity to listen to my music. And better yet, it gives me an opportunity to indoctrinate all of the little minions with my brilliant, highly refined playlists. I mean, really, who wouldn't pass up the chance to expose the wonders of Nickelback to the impressionable young minds of nine year olds?

I'm kidding...

Mostly.

But in all honesty, there is something magical about music. It allows you to be transported to any place, any time. I associate songs with events or times in my life; when I was in 7th grade, for example, I was obsessed with "Leave Out All the Rest". I still love that song, but now whenever I hear it, it brings back memories of new schools and puberty-induced awkwardness.

This post obviously doesn't even begin to describe music; I could rant for hours about it, although I'm sure y'all have better things to do with your Monday nights. I have so much more I want to write! But I don't want to bore you to death, so this is all for now.

Do you have any memories or events that you associate with a certain song?