today.

today has really been incredible.
it has just been all-around fantastic.

I don't particularly enjoy waking up early, but I'm not even upset that I had to.
today I just feel blessed. I am an extremely negative person at times and I have this thing where I constantly complain about the fact that I'm still stuck in a place I want to be away from, about people around me, about the school I attend, about just a lot of things in general.
thinking about it, today I haven't felt the need or had anything to complain about.
from the very beginning of today I saw tender mercies everywhere.

this morning I prayed to remember where my keys were and instantly the image of a hoodie pocket popped into my head. there they were.
I enjoyed an easy night at work with coworkers and friends. that job has been such a blessing.
I managed to write a letter to a close friend serving a mission that I may have been neglecting.

but my favorite:
I had the opportunity to read some essays from my classmates in creative writing. there were two specifically that might be the best things I've read in a long time.

one was about childhood summers spent playing with a kind and loving grandfather out on the trampoline. love was literally dripping from every word in that essay. I read it during my religion class today, and what do you know, I cried. it was beyond beautiful, and extremely well-written.

the other was about the love and concern and hope felt for a younger brother [who was following in some maybe not so great footsteps of the elder]. when I read that essay, I was so overwhelmed with admiration. I realized that the person, and no doubt the seemingly incredible family he came from, are probably amongst the highest quality people on this earth.


for all I complain about hating people and how much the human race just sucks in general, I absolutely love real, genuine glimpses into people's lives where they bare their souls and what you see there is completely beautiful. people like this and the beauty they created in their writing make me want to be an optimist. it took me by surprise, and had a pretty big impact on my day.

I want to see and feel the majesty in things around me