Hey Baby, What’s Your Sign?

another day, another sleepless night. 1st all-nighter of the second term here at Dartmouth. After my astounding record 7 all-nighters last term, i’m already off to a bang-up start to not only shatter my own personal record, but a Dartmouth College all-time high! ugh. the life of an insomniac is not the life i desire. in general, being at college has made me realize the true value of good sleep. i’m talking, you couldn’t wake me with a catheter sleep. naps have become a daily part of my routine. Wake, class, eat, nap! It’s a simple schedule, but it works fairly effectively.

on to my next little topic of thought: signs.

recently, I began to think about just how much our lives are defined by signs. signs run our lives. we search for them, we obey them, we pray for them, we interpret them, we use them for communication, we fashion them as a means of self-definition. for many of us out there, particularly the hopeless romantics and the dreamers like myself, signs are the ultimate validations of what we choose to pursue or not pursue. for example, if i'm walking down the street, casually following* an unsuspecting object of my affection, (*note: i say casually following and not stalking. i'm not a pervert), and all of a sudden a stranger runs across the street and proceeds to violently make-out with this secret crush, who puts up no fight, mind you, then one might take this as a sign to move on to pursue other options.

for those who put a little faith in something called fate and never knowing what will come next; those who believe in spontenaiety as best thing since 5 o'clock free crack give-a-ways; those who put a little trust in the notion that, in the end, everything will be alright; those who throw caution to the wind, for these people, a sign is the only thing that carries us through life and allows us to keep dreaming and adapting to change.

many people find their sign in faith. many find it in religion and prayer and in trust that God will illuminate the correct path when a choice has to be made or when life takes a new, interesting turn. others find them in very strange places. many of life's most important lessons are learned or found in the most unexpected of forms. that's the beauty of life to me: that at any time i may have an epiphany. i may receive either some sign of divine intervention or just a subtle warning or caution. i can never predict which way my life will turn out. all i can do is live from day to day and be thankful that every morning i have an opportunity to start fresh and re-invent myself, if i so choose.

so to all of you out there who believe in the power of the sign to influence whichever path you may choose to pursue, whether it be a simple "stop" sign at a street intersection preventing you from a car accident, or the love of your dreams walking into a room and you overhearing someone in a completely unrelated conversation exclaim, "go for it," remember this: Always be on the look out for signs. Embrace them. Trust that you will recognize them, and please, honor their power. You never know which one may change your life completely.

many thanks to David Snead for his inspiring this entry, and

Until tomorrow kiddies!