The restless poignancy that she has been feeling over the past 2 weeks only escalated this Tuesday. The perplexed and sporadic emotions of unsettling despondency increased that dejected agitation, that feeling of boredom and apprehension which was all so intricately linked that her brain could not disentangle this giant mess of sentiments. Deep down in her heart, she could fathom the ongoing anxiety that had completely blanketed her, suffocating her slowly and gradually; she could grasp the main determinant of the unconquerable and laborious woefulness. Being away from the comforts of her home in a foreign land with no close friends as those back in her home country, the college anxiety had really taken over her life. The calm composure and the cheerful demeanor on the outside offered an escape from the distressing thoughts that would engulf her like a cloud of thick, dark smoke, not allowing her to get rid of its sharp clutches. Meeting the deadlines, doing lengthy assignments, giving exams, participating in clubs and organizations, handling the six-hour-long job, and volunteering in a committee had altogether started to induce a sense of oppressive monotony which was slowly slipping into a humdrum of tasks that appeared endless.
However, today she was going to battle the multitude of gloom-ridden emotions in the best possible way by focusing on the “small moments” in her life. Having only recently read a book that delineated the ways of acquiring contentment and happiness in one’s life, she was going to follow the promising route that the book explicated. The central scheme of the book was to really live in the moment, all kinds of enjoyable, anticipatory, and thrilling moments, that people effortlessly tended to overlook in their lives, since they occupy a preponderance of time being engrossed in thoughts that are usually out of their control or bring desolation and dullness. During the day, she tried concentrating on all the lectures that her professors gave while also gaining additional information via the myriad websites and articles to aid her in participating well in class; the effect on her frame of mind was only palpable to her as she felt a bit better about the day since it started in the morning. In the afternoon, as she settled to have lunch with her friends, she, for the first time, noticed the joyous rollicking laugh of one of her friends as he (the friend) hurried to cram the last bits of the food since he had a class right after the lunch break.
One of her closest friends chattered a lot while eating, always making ludicrous yet hilarious jokes to keep her group of friends amused. Only after a long time did she realize that she was blessed to have such magnificently warm and cordial people in her life, something she had been failing to realize and appreciate for a long time. The cafeteria staff also had their own seemingly elated as well as a peculiarly chaotic life during the bustling lunch hours with one of them shouting on top of his lungs to direct the orders to the kitchen followed by a lady and a young guy pacing back and forth from the kitchen to the main dining area to deliver orders. The whole lunch scene was amusing for her to watch, as she observed how everybody had their distinct lives with all of them being absorbed and captivated in it. Towards the evening, against all odds, she decided to head to the beach which was around a fifteen-minute walk from her residential hall, and that was the best quick decision she made because it allowed her to explore the beauty of nature that she had become so oblivious to over the past few weeks. Everything was soothing about that place; from the fine-grained dark brown sand to the cloudless, yet blissful blue sky, to the majestic and seemingly everlasting ocean with all the beauty of these elements of nature being culminated with the setting of the calm, golden sun. Allowing herself to look into life with attentive and optimistic eyes made her appreciate the beauty of life, all hidden in the simplicity of the smallest experiences.