THIS IS A PRIZE.

My sister Laura has been on a campaign to rouse me from existential despair by designing fun missions for me, sent via text message. Here is the first. I walked around campus and gathered flowery things. I had my coffee and my music. The sun was absolutely perfect and it was very cold.

Now, I don't want to go all maudlin on your ass, but when I was walking around, I realized that I hadn't just gone out in the world and really noticed my surroundings in a long time. I was happy in the sun and wind and shadows, among the growing and dead and beautiful things. The transcendentalists were on to something. Nature with a capital N, telling you, this is your invitation. This is what's being offered, in your one and only life.

"This is so going on my blog!" I thought. And I was reminded of the dealio of life. Watch the first 38 seconds.

Ok, I also stepped in some goose crap, and saw some plastic bags and construction, and got a few evil glares for struggling to pull huge branches off of trees, and spilled coffee all over my mittens. So that's life too.