Palmtree Contemplations

      I hope all of you read the title and started thinking, "Oh yes! Rachel is going to talk all about her relationship with her boyfriend! This ought to be good." If you thought that, way to go. That's exactly what I'm going to talk about.        My boyfriend is incredible. There's no other way to put it. In this crazy world full of egotistical males, I am so glad I have finally decided to wait for someone as incredible as my boyfriend. Incidentally, I am still waiting.       How did we meet? Well, I will tell how you about all the opportune moments we could have met, but did not.      *We did NOT meet all those times when I went to watch the sunset on the Amazon River. It would have been a great time for him to introduce himself to me (such a romantic and exotic setting), but he did not.      *We did NOT meet during any of my quiet walks under the stars after the lights went out at my boarding school. (I'm glad we didn't. I probably would have run

     Here's my attempt to sum up a few of the things my friends at JBU have taught me in the past 9 months since I first met them. 1) Walk slowly- They often have to call me back, or tell me to slow down when we're walking. I walk so quickly sometimes that I walk backwards and still stay ahead of them. I think I am catching on, though. Yesterday I caught myself meandering on the quad. 2) Listen- I am convinced that the ability to listen well is one of the most important skills anyone can develop. My friends have taught me that listening is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give someone. 3) Neatness- My roommate Leslie is one the neatest people I have ever met. Living with her over the past semester has made me realize how much I like everything being clean. Seriously, when everything is clean and neat it makes me so happy! 4) Prayer- So often I think I can make it on my own, and then I fall. My friends have helped me to remember that taking it to God does make a

       In the Culture District of Fort Worth, Texas, there is a museum dedicated to modern art. Last weekend, I wandered through its quiet halls, taking in the colors and eccentricity of modern artists. I have developed a routine for this sort of thing (honed to perfection whenever my younger sister and I went to "artsy" places) It normally entails: 1. Walking slowly 2. Stopping in front of paintings 3. Tilting head at different angles. 4. Making some comment on the artist's use of color, or lack thereof.     Note: This routine is partly because I actually like museums. It is also partly because I like to fool all the rest of the museum occupants into thinking that I know what I am doing, while they are still clueless.       There were several modern art works that caught my eye, either for their eccentricity (aka complete randomness. How else am I supposed to describe a screen door with Abe Lincoln and a train light attached to it?) or strangely unnerving beauty (t

         "Micah, what do you do when you're depressed?" I said. It was lunchtime in the cafeteria.          "I don't get depressed," he said. Micah is one of the most concise people I know. His words come out like his math calculations: short and to the point.          "Why not?" I said. Depression is something I think everyone experiences on some level because we all have so many expectations about life that do not get fulfilled.          "Why should I?" Micah said.          "Because the world is depressing, Micah."          "No it's not."          "Yes it is."          "No it's not."          "Yes, it is," I said. What was he getting at? Of course it is depressing.          "Not it's not. It's just the world," he said, smiling in typical Micah fashion as if to say, "You silly girl."         I sat there, thinking and thinking. The realization