Shadows on a Sidewalk

Leaf imprints on a sidewalk - original photo

In Schwenksville, PA, my home town, we don't have many sidewalks. Then again, I didn't do much walking back in the small town of Schwenksville. Suffice it to say, that changed when I came to PennState. Walking everywhere was pretty much mandatory (though I did ride the bus once and that was exciting), and I've noticed how well the campus is kept. The grass is always clear of leaves and fallen branches, the sidewalks are blown clean, and the flowers and shrubs are mulched weekly.

It wasn't until one misty morning when walking to class I noticed these leaves on the ground - leaves that weren't there. The pigments of the leaves bled onto the concrete to create imprints of themselves after they've been wet and stepped on by hundreds of pedestrians. After several days of observation, I found that these imprints lasted several days despite multiple days of rain. 

These "ghosts" are becoming more and more common as more leaves touch the ground, and they reminded me of similar imprints that are unfortunately not as pleasant to view...

The Ghosts of Hiroshima.

August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The impact of the bomb was so instant and so catastrophic, the people in the city were gone in a flash. Nothing remained except their shadows. If you go to Hiroshima, they're still there, frozen in time. I don't think I would ever have the heart to see them in person, but the thought of stepping over an image that used to be a person sends chills down my spine, and the same was true of these leaves.

I think it's because we have never seen devastation and horror within our boarders that causes Americans to romanticize war and remain distant on the topic. We are lucky, yet we are ignorant. Being such a military-focused country, I doubt we will ever see war within our boarders unless there was an all-out world war, and the only way we can make ourselves aware of the consequences is to empathize with history. The next time you hear a heated debate on countries at large, World War III, or nuking someone because we can, remember the leaves.

Be glad you're not one.

A man with a walking stick - original post

Profound Thoughts From A Dead Squirrel

It was a fairly normal Saturday evening that I decided to get some take-out for dinner. I returning to my dorm, bag of Noodles and Company in hand, and I almost walked into the most adorable little blonde-haired boy, with his even littler brother stumbling behind him. Whist thinking of all the ways I could say "Aww" and "Oh my goodness they're so cute" in my mind, by that time, the two boys and their parents had walked passed me, the father laughing and asking his little guy, "did you bump into that lady?" That family was so cute. Ah, I wish more families were like that. I want to have kids one day.

Oh wow, a dead squirrel.

Barely a minute later I found myself newly entranced at this deceased tree-rodent, with a tiny pool of blood congealed under its bleeding mouth. I was completely stopped in my tracks. A jogger passed by and looked at me funnily before realizing the obstacle ahead and awkwardly stepped around the grave site. I believe I stood there for a solid few minutes, staring at a dead squirrel on a sidewalk, listening to crows in the distance, "Caw! Caw! Free food! Look here!" It was then I realized the fragility of life and how it comes so suddenly to everyone, human and squirrel alike.

If I had viewed that dead squirrel without almost bumping into those stumbling boys, I don't think the train of thought I had that day would have been as profound. The stark contrast of life and death touched my soul! My inner not-quite-an-adult-but-gosh-I-like-to-think-I-am soul! I wanted to attend college because I wanted to get a job, and I wanted to get that job because I need to make money, and I need that money to sustain myself, and I need to sustain myself to sustain a family, and I need to sustain a family because my family is all I'll have left when I'm old and haggard and dying and dead.

It was like my whole life from now till I die flashed before me. All because of some kids I don't know and this random dead squirrel. Rest in peace, Squirrel. Your memory will live on forever in the mind of this newly enlightened college student.

Love The Little Things

It's hard to appreciate the small things in life when you're busy doing work, and losing yourself to the digital world. A typical day probably isn't very exciting unless you see your favorite food item is available today while browsing the PSU Dining App (well... I find that exciting at least).

Get up. Go to class. Eat. More classes. Eat. Work. Sleep. Repeat.

Yeah, life seems pretty dull when you put it like that, right? What I want to show people in my Passion Blog is how to be bored. In a work-oriented world where it's important to be focused at all times on the job at hand, I feel it's important to let yourself go sometimes, take a break, slow down, and get distracted. 

A lot of joy can be taken out of the little things that happen around you or the weird stuff you find just walking around: the leaves changing color, the sound of an afternoon breeze, the smell of fried food, the profound thoughts of viewing a dead squirrel on a sidewalk... Whoa, what? That was oddly specific and morbid... (Will be elaborated in a later post)

I hope my Passion Blog, "Loving the Little Things", will let others see how something small can make their whole day better. Happiness doesn't come to you, it's what you make of it.