Luck, and the lack thereof

Hello again, Dear Readers!

Have you ever found you are luckiest at your most unlucky? When everything goes wrong, but--for whatever reason--turns in your best favor at the culmination of unluckiness?

The strangest thing about "finding the silver lining" as they say, is not so much the grey-ness of the clouds, the looming forbearance, or even the rain puddles; it's the "finding" that's so strange. Consider: If the silver lining is invisible/ignored by all except those who seek it, so then are good details lost in a sea of unlucky sequence by all except those who choose to find it.

It is not unknown that I think happiness a choice--how else does one keep faith and fortitude when there is none to be had? He must choose to have faith, and choose to stay strong!--and therefore is completely independent of luck, or the lack thereof.

If I have an "off" day, then I am unlucky.

If I am unlucky, then my best efforts will be in vain.

If my best efforts are in vain, then I have cause to be unhappy.

If I have cause to be unhappy, I have no reason for "silver lining".

Notice I said "cause" not "right" to be unhappy. However:

If I look for silver lining, then I have hope.

If I have hope, my failures won't seem so bad.

If my failures don't seem so bad, I have cause to be happy.

Here is a list of my Silver Linings for the day:

1) Class schedule a mess: at least I'm still in school!

2) I straightened my hair today, so of course, it rained

3) I dressed up today, it still rained

4) I wore my glasses today. It rained.

5) I rode my bike. Rain.

6) I came back to my room, and despite the rain, I had a good laugh with my roommates about the Michigan weather before I wrote this post.

The funny thing is, it's not so bad that I had to practically change my outfit because I was soaked through--in fact, it made me laugh. Here I was, wearing my glasses, on my bicycle, with newly straightened hair and all dressed up, in the middle of a torrential downpour... What a sight I must have been! When I finally caught a mirror, the reflection reminded me of a wet cat. Cats don't like wet.

Why should I worry about the weather? Why should I stress about things beyond my control? I shouldn't. That's the plain and simple of it. I shouldn't.

Have a stress-free Thursday, Dear Reader!

Laziness vs. Willingness

Today, it is raining. I don't mind; I like the rain when it's warm. But, I've noticed how the weather often affects my humor. And I say "humor" instead of "mood" or "emotions" because "humor" to me encapsulates my attitude, my state of mind, my emotional flux, and my aspirations.

Therefore, today my humor is a melancholy one. I am of a "happy" emotion; I am of a "thoughtful" state of mind, and today I have to force myself to stay focused.

I tried my best this morning, taking my new 12-speed bicycle around campus before it started pouring. Guess who left her umbrella in her room at home?

On days like today, I like to wake up early (which is weird for me) and take a hot shower while singing love songs at the top of my lungs. Then I like to settle into a corner by a heating unit of some sort, and read to my heart's content. I will often doze off during reading, relaxed by the sound the rain makes against my window. In essence, I wake up early to do...nothing.

I like doing nothing. It's comforting.

See?? See how hard it is for me to focus?? This is the most disjointed blog I've written for a while!! As I sit at my computer, drying off, my mind keeps taking flight on the most random of fantastical journeys. Even watching my goldfish swim around in his jar choking on leftover bits of his breakfast (it's really kind of funny because he swallows them, chokes, and they come out his gills) is cause for me to become lost in thought.

I don't consider days like today "lazy" necessarily, just "relaxed". I am willing to do my work and get things done, but it's really hard. The reason why I'm writing a post at all is because I have done everything I can up to this time. I'm going to chase people down for interviews come 1:30 because I can be sure that they'll all be in their offices again.

And I'm getting better at riding my bike. I'm still afraid that I'm going to run over a freshman, especially since I don't know what the rules are for bicycles on the campus grounds. I remember always jumping out of the way, so I think I'm allowed to cycle on the sidewalks. The streets go nowhere, so they're out.

Regardless, have a wonderfully raining day!

Weather

Contrary to popular belief, it's cold down here.

My group arrived during the dry season, or the Costa Rican winter. It's more or less spring now, and the rains have started. I would say that today's weather is about as mild as an Indiana fall, or something to that effect.

My host mother teases me about being a ranita, or a 'little frog' because my hands are always cold. It's okay, I like frogs! The Ticos always wear a few shirts during this season. I've been wearing my coat, but not during the day so as not to stand out terribly. All of the American students I am with (those who have never been out of the country) find the weather extremely pleasant, and cannot understand why I'm always shivering.

Even though it's the 'dry season' now, like I said, the rains have been coming. Yesterday, there was a constant mist that started at about 1 p.m. (Costa Rican time) and ended at about 6 p.m. It's weather like this that makes my hair a frizz ball. I'm going to go to the farmacía to find some good anti-frizz conditioner.

Well, it's midday here now, so we are going to almorzar, or eat lunch.
¡Hasta luego!

UPDATE 20 Jan 09:
I found something interesting today--the mist (it isn't quite rain) is called "pelo de gato" or "cat's fur" rain. Why? Because the rain is soft, fine (small drops), and short, like cat's hair.