Pocket Change.

This familiar routine never ceases to seem like anything less than a miracle. Crack open sleepy eyes and unlearn the hazy off position. Five minutes to departure are motivation enough to roll out of sheet-covered feet and a warming collar of bunched-up fleece. The cold creeps on from bottom to top, and it's easy to dress on a time crunch with such an eager opponent. Eyes still weak, body still dented from folds in blankets, it's time to trek in unkind sun.

Hands find a home in designated pockets and assess their contents. One all-important cell phone, one addictive device aimed to feed an obsession with instant gratification. We're constantly reachable and usually prefer it that way. Do you ever ignore the ringtones you've memorized? Opening beats and jingles send your most convenient hand flying to its cradle. Sometimes, I tune out and turn off. If only for an hour, it can wait. Our ability to stomach such a word is incompetent at best. Slow down; for once in your life, taste the air you breathe.

One balled up gum wrapper long kept in your pocket, the by-product of three extra steps worth of laziness. Cast out and ranked by numerical value, yet kept to remember every time your hand falls where its been forgotten. You underestimate the value in things that seem so easily crumpled between your fingertips. Daily, we're possess by an unexplainable pull to cut corners and easy ways out. My friends call me out on my shit; where's your moral compass when it comes to this? It's hard to be humble when you're anything but honest. Go all out. Get caught up in the details. Someone's bound to notice.

Fidget your left hand, fitted around a loop of fabric, college's favorite way to remember. Identification is everything, even two years shy of the age that seems to define it. Identity is access, strength, and food. More than a number and less of a prominent presence your own hardly ready, confusingly sideways smile keeps you honest. Passing glances remind you where you call home, where you fall asleep, and the undeniable reality that they've grown increasingly plural. Home is where you make it. Appreciate the places your skin can settle and raise with ease. You'll find more than just a place to pass the time; you'll learn who deserved to be called family.

I'm learning to take notice of every change of scene, color, and shape. Surprises have always been a personal favorite, so I'm letting the smallest discoveries surprise me. The choice I made one year ago is creating an increasingly endearing location to drive this state of mind that's sewed to my skin. Sense is easy to come by these days, and ease as a result is simply sensible. I can handle anything that is to come from situations I've just begun, the ones I'm knowingly continuing, and even those that I'm completely unaware of. Shape yourself to the lines carving out my palm, and I'll carry you.

You and life remain beautiful.