Manifestations;

It was one of those evenings that started out as simplistic as they come. Plans were made, manipulated and eventually put into action. The car rides initiated, the music was perfected and, in the grand theme of tradition, pictures were undoubtedly taken. The six of us embarked on an Atlanta-bound adventure with no great expectations in mind, and we ended up with an unforgettable sensation in our hearts.

I went to Screen on the Green last night with five of the most wonderful girls I know. Originally, we went to "watch" Footloose; however, those plans were foiled once the clouds above the Atlanta skyline became picture-esque and conversation bloomed. Topics that would seem rather frivolous to most ignited our minds and tranquilized our thoughts with brilliance. We just sat on our blanket in a circle and enjoyed one another's company for hours- well, until our parking meter ran out. It's difficult for me to fathom the pure fortune that played such an integral part in my final placement for a home. Almost six years ago I didn't even know these girls existed, and I certainly had no concept of the impact they would subsequently have on my life. And now I cannot imagine my life in their absence. It is literally incredible how far we have all come. I cannot picture myself anywhere else. I don't even know who I would be had I stayed in New York; I don't know that person at all. Sometimes I wonder if I would like that version of myself slightly better, almost as though I would possess certain qualities I wish I exhibited now that I don't. Perhaps in that world I would be more caring or reserved; perhaps I would have continued to act and sing for people, and maybe I would have enjoyed it so much that I right now I would be venturing to turn those passions into a career. I might have scared myself out of such ambitions, but in that world I am who I wanted to be at one point. We are faced with infinite paths and possibilities in this lifetime, which is slightly ironic because we only get one lifetime to live and experience a perpetual amount of events. It is almost a little unfair. How can everything be pre-destined if there are limitless outcomes to everything we encounter, and changing our minds is so incredibly easy and, at times, convenient? Maybe we make our own fate without realizing it, and maybe that is the way it is supposed to be.