On Simple Joys

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In light of this week’s college essay planning unit, one of the “mentor texts” we examined for insight into how to showcase our voice in our essays was an excerpt from Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, “Botan Rice Candy.”

It stuck out to me because not only was Gay unapologetic in the rambly nature of his thoughts (which I think many adults try to limit, at least in published writing), but it was his quiet observations of the things that gave him joy on a daily basis that stood out to me.

I feel like his approach to life is something we should all embody — a life marked by deliberation, by care of the surrounding world, and by appreciation and love of the little things that build it up. In short, I think this is what makes a happy life, and we would all do well to internalize Gay’s teachings in his novel.

Yet, I would be remiss to hark on about this without acknowledging the difficulty of following in Gay’s footsteps as a senior at a competitive high school leading up to the Early Action college application deadline of November 1st. Taking joy in the simple things can seem foolish, even, in pressing times like these (Because getting into a good college comes before your mental health, right?), but I think it is possible to strike a balance between this hectic season of our lives and love for the mundane.

Taking even a few minutes out of our days to sit in the silence and bask in the enormity of the world can relieve some of this pressure (and make us realize that college might actually not be the end-all, be-all). You should try it out (Today, not tomorrow!).💌

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