Me, at Seventeen
Originally published on September 14th, 2017
Hi, my name is Claira Eastwood, and this is me. Well, this is me at Seventeen.
I sleep in a twin sized bed with two blankets, three pillows, a stuffed moose, and a giant bear I've had since I was three. The moose stays interlocked in my right arm, the bear stays at the foot of my bed, the pillows are scattered around, and the blankets usually end up tangled in my legs halfway through the night. I have glow in the dark stars on my ceiling and I sleep under the window so the moonlight shines over me.
I wake up between 7:00 and 7:30 most mornings, and the first thing I do is make coffee, chai, or earl grey tea- it truly depends. I pour whatever I choose into one of my many mugs. I tend to use my The Little Prince one my mom got me for Christmas last year, the one my grandparents brought me from Spain last year, or my Friends one that one of my best friends got me a couple years ago, but sometimes I branch out and use something different. I take my coffee with a splash of creamer, my tea with with some milk and a spoonful of sugar, and my chai as is. I'd like to say I sip it slowly while looking out my window, but the reality is I'm taking long sips while getting ready.
I love t-shirts, and right now I'm wearing my The 1975 one that I got from Amazon a lot. I usually wear jeans, partly because they're comfortable but mostly because I simply can after going to schools where I couldn't. After I get dressed I put a small black "x" over the date on my Troye Sivan calendar that hangs in my closet. I water whatever flowers are currently sitting on my dresser (right now I have orchids), and do my makeup. I use the term "makeup" loosely, as it's really just mascara and chapstick. I have this Magnolia flower lotion that I use all the time, so it's running low, but I still use it daily.
On one wall of my room I have Christmas lights and pictures of my friends, and on another I have my The Giver Quartet poster and my calendar that displays a different location in France every month (yes, I do have two calendars). By my door hangs my mirror and my elephant chain, which I am quite fond of. I ring it every morning before I leave. My favorite candle right now smells like fern and moss, but I don't remember where I got it which is disappointing.
Right now I'm rewatching Frasier a lot and listening to a lot of Oh Wonder. My favorite bands are The Beatles and The 1975 and my favorite solo artist is Ed Sheeran (shocking, I know ;-)). I go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:45 because I hate the idea of falling asleep when it's already morning. I take showers at night because I don't like going to sleep with the feeling of having dirty skin, and while I'd like to say I read before bed, in reality I just scroll through Facebook and Instagram a few times while watching Netflix until I'm sleepy.
Right now I'm reading Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill for my school's book club, and I'm mostly reading it during lunch and between classes. Ever since going back to school I've found that I read more but feel like I'm reading less. My days are spent studying for the SAT, ACT, my driving test, and regular class tests and quizzes. I work on Tuesdays, and I write in my journal almost daily. My favorite class is AP Literature, but honestly I thought I'd like Film Production the best. I'm scared of the dark but I'm learning to love the silence. I get tired around 2:00 in the afternoon, but magically wake up as soon as my mom picks me up from school. I miss my friends from last year, but their words of advice and encouragement are on replay in my head, and the people I'm surrounded by are wonderful too.
I'm happy right now, and that fact makes me happier. I'll be eighteen in 45 days, but for the time being I am quite content with seventeen.
