Just an End-of-the-Month Ramble

Originally published on November 26th, 2019

Last year, when I had trouble staying on top of this blog, I would sporadically post something super rambly and call it a day. Now that my blog can count as homework for my media writing class, I’ve had that extra motivation to keep up with it, hence the lack of rambles (for the most part). But I realized the other day that I kind of miss just sitting at my computer on a random Wednesday and writing about what’s going on in my life. I know I kind of do this in the Detox Tea Talks, but the November one was kind of a downer, so here’s a little end-of-the-month ramble for this Tuesday.

Before I get too far into it, I should let you know that I am writing this on Wednesday the 13th, so even though when you read this I’ll be home for Thanksgiving break, right now I am sitting in a bakery writing in the sixteen minutes I have left before I need to walk to my first class.

My walks to class have been pretty cold as of late. Walla Walla seems to have completely skipped over fall this year and headed straight to winter once September ended. Right now it’s 36 degrees and very foggy. I’ve been enjoying the fog lately, but I have a feeling if it’s still here by next week I’ll want the sun back again. The walks to class and work have been colder than they were last year, but the air smells exactly the same as it did last November. While at work yesterday I turned to Dorea and said, “This is probably going to sound strange, but the air smells like Eleemosynary.” She looked at my skeptically until I explained that I meant the air smells just like it did when me, her, and Rylee did Scene 5 from a Lee Blessing play entitled Eleemosynary. When I said the air smelled like the play, I meant the air smells nostalgic.

I’ve gotten some strange looks in the past few weeks whenever I’ve mentioned that I love November in Walla Walla. And I get it, it is a pretty dreary month up here. But what I’ve realized in the past little bit is I love November in Walla Walla because last year it was when everything started to click for me. Doing that scene for acting class with Rylee and Dorea opened a lot of doors for me. Although it was a pretty emotional time and a lot of stuff isn’t quite healed from it yet, I was able to form friendships that have lasted ever since.

I had no idea what the rest of my Freshman year would look like. I had no idea how different everything would be once Fall Quarter ended. I didn’t love that first quarter of college, and I don’t think there’s enough money or gold in the world to make me go back, but there were good moments that I tend to overlook. Although that quarter wasn’t that great, it was the start of a lot of truly magnificent things. The air smells like those magnificent things.

November smells like going to see Arsenic and Old Lace with Dorea and then listening to Alec Benjamin songs on the way home. It smells like créme brulee and getting to help with You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. November smells like the end of being an English major and the corner before hearing about drama therapy for the first time. November smells like the first talks with Emma, and the first time I made Nathan and Rylee laugh, and the time I stayed up all night texting a boy.

November smells like nostalgia. I wonder what February will smell like.