Mornings and their Rituals
By: Amandha Antonio
Step 1~ The day has risen. It's 5:45am and your alarm is screaming at you. Your eyes fail to open, as your fingers wearily yet robotically type the password to your iPhone, allowing the blaring noise to cease. You know you should get up, but hey, what are snooze buttons for? You immerse back into your rudely interrupted dream. Hell, you've got fifteen more minutes.
Step 2~ It is now 6:00am. Your alarm clock is no longer screaming. It is now wailing like a newborn who has risen to the occasion. YOU MUST GET UP! On your feet you stand. They have never felt heavier. Your eyes are swollen shut, your cheeks flushed, your hair untamed, and your soul longs for the warmth of the fresh comfy white sheets. To the bathroom you go. After all, who knows who you'll see roaming the halls today!
Step 3~ Your unsightly image is glaring at you. You stand facing the mirror, perplexed as to where begin. The clock is eternally ticking. You realize it is 6:06am. You know you don't have much time, so you decide to skip over the Clean and Clear process today. Quickly you brush your teeth. As your flat iron prepares itself, you dab on some blush bringing color to your flushed cheeks, and mascara to you forever cursed eyelashes. Why are they so short? Quickly you straighten the rebellious strands of hair and gather them into a socially acceptable "messy bun". That should do it. You think?
Step 4~ Rapidly you scan your closet for something other than a T-shirt, yoga pants, and UGGs. You try on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a relatively dressy sweater, the saleswoman at American Eagle enthusiastically advocated "totally brings out the color in your eyes". You return to the mirror to find the reflection staring back at you is not one you like. You wriggle out of the sweater, careful your Pandora doesn't pull a thread. You decide to go for a comfy sweater. It is a Monday. You scoop up the nearest one. Looking at the mirror, you are covered in displeasure once again. You resort back to the T-shirt and yoga pants. You throw on a pair of over-sized diamond studs. It is now 6:36am.
Step 5~ You race down the stairs. Your legs feel like jell-o. You scurry to the kitchen. You must pack your lunch before your overbearing, kale drinking mother lectures you on the importance of vitamins and nutrients. You decide to finish the episode of Friends you fell asleep watching last night. The TV is now on as you carry on packing your lunch. You grab strawberries, rinse them and into the ziplock bag they go. You make a chicken caesar wrap and pack an apple. Honey crisp of course! Your wrap takes longer than expected. Someone tweeted something of your interest and you lost focus. It is now 6:50am.
Step 6~ You have 10 minutes to be in your car. Quickly you put on your UGGs, as your eyes
skim the room for your North Face and keys. Your North Face is nowhere to be found. You smell something burning and remember you left the flat iron on. Crap!
Step 7~ You found your North Face and the flat iron is now off. It is 7:00 am. You have everything.
Step 8~ You slide into the driver seat. The car is frigid! Living in New England, you should've remembered to start your car earlier. You finally start the car and blast the heat. Before backing out, you look around and realize your backpack is missing. Back into the house you go!
Step 9~ You grab your backpack from the kitchen countertop. Quickly you're out the door and back into your car.
Step 10~ 7:08 am. Congratulations, you're officially late.
4 comments:
I really enjoyed reading your essay, I actually find the way you write very amusing, entertaining and well-worded. Each step has a hook to it that makes you want to read more and all the steps transition well into each other.
The way that you explain your morning is really realistic. You have a distinct voice as a writer and you can really experience the morning with you. The way you are so descriptive makes it that much easier to picture and understand the process of your morning and the mood and tone of the morning. "After all, who knows who you'll see roaming the halls today!" i love this sentence because everyone can relate to this as to what they think about while theyre getting ready in the morning!
This is exactly what my morning is like! rushing around trying to get ready, I can feel the humor and sense of urgency in your writing. Very enjoyable read!
Amandha, you'd be surprised how many of my mornings are just like this! I enjoyed the way you personified objects. The way you varied the font features channels energy into your words. The steps are honest--not that this is desirable, but this is what happens, and we recognize the patterns we all fall into, espeically distractions and forgetting, and there is comfort in knowing we are not alone.
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