back to "reality" (MM #28)

First of all, remember Mindful Mondays? Wowza. Flash from the past. 

Just wanted to post a rather quick update, although it's probably not news to anyone reading this. I have made my way into Oxford life yet again-- classes started today, so I officially have to get back to work. Don't get me wrong, winter holiday was absolutely wonderful—filled with family, friends, and celebrations—but now it's back to my current reality (which often does not, in fact, feel very real at all).

Example: apparently this is a thing that happens in my life now--

And apparently it's not very fun to cycle through. ((Pro to match that con: Though I had to face the rain/slow/slush on two wheels, those wheels enabled me to navigate to two back-to-back seminars on health and agricultural development in Zanzibar and India*, respectively, which I suppose is pretty neat.))  *The seminars were not in Zanzibar and India, respectively; they were about Zanzibar and India, respectively, in case that wasn't clear. That would be quite the slushy commute.

But it is wonderful to be back in this place [even if that means being so far from the "coauthor" (Ha!) of this lil' blog]. Today, walking back from a local deli with a warm mug of soup, I looked up to the sound of "Hi, Maria!" to see a college-mate riding by, making his own attack on the weather with his bicycle. That simple reception of a greeting makes me realize how blessed my experience here has been, thus far.

So here's to a new term, hopefully even more blessed and productive than the last. 

That being said, I think I've stayed inside, next to my radiator long enough to thaw, and really ought to head out of the solitude of my room to study.

Cheers,

M