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eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and watching gilmore girls. what a lovely cap to an extraordinarily hectic day 

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I remember being younger and thinking about the concept of “guardian angels.” I always imagined that there was some heavenly being looking at my every move, trying to keep me from disaster. 

Considering my countless childhood injuries, it seemed that my guardian angel had some kind of ADD. 

Whatever I thought of guardian angels before, I met a woman yesterday that turned my childhood conceptions upside down.

I was sitting on a bench in a walmart, engrossed in The Purity Myth (by Jessica Valenti, highly recommend) when a woman made a comment about loving to read. I thought it was a passing comment so I smiled and continued reading. 

Then she sat down and started talking

I’m not usually one for close proximity to and random chatter with strangers, so I was fairly uncomfortable. Until she broke the ice.

Shattered, actually.

After grabbing my book, the tagline of which mentions virginity, she said, “oh honey, I am far from that”

Hilarity.

For the next 20 minutes, this woman recounted the details of her life with the beauty and grace of a poet. She told me of how she’d dropped out of school, started a company with her husband, kept in touch with her best friend, lost her son, battled cancer, and so on. I told her about Princeton and how I want to be a doctor and how I always miss my family. We joked and smiled and I could tell that she viewed her life through an ever-positive lens. She was a fighter, a survivor. She is an absolutely beautiful human being. 

When she got up, she kissed me on the forehead and whispered “May God bless you and the ones you love.” Usually this unexpected closeness would make me cringe, but it was surprisingly nice. 

I’ve had at least four nightmares about applying to post-grad programs and my stomach has been tied up in knots with worry. But maybe this is what a guardian angel is, someone to calm your fears and make you feel strong again even when you’re scared. 

and thank goodness for that. 

langste:

(by angox)

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relaxing on a beach, Imma let you finish…but napping with a baby on your chest is the best finals recovery of all time.

of all time.

(Source: on-my-toes-for-you, via legiftofgab)