The Little Things

Every morning I wake up two hours before I have to be at school. I like being able to sit down and eat breakfast without immediately rushing out the door.

I've got my routine timed pretty perfect to where I'm always ready to leave an hour after my alarm goes off.

It usually only takes me around a half an hour with traffic to get to school, but I always like to give myself plenty of time just in case. That also gives me some time to get to class and read some e-mails or do some last minute studying before class.

But one of my favorite things is the drive there and back. Don't get me wrong - most of the time I absolutely despise the rush hour traffic, but I truly do enjoy commuting.

I say that to people, and I don't think anyone really understands it. Most of my friends I go to school with are shocked that I commute, let alone that I like doing it. Sometimes people can't believe that I drive half an hour each way, but it's really not bad at all.

I've always loved driving, especially on nice days. There's absolutely nothing better than driving with the windows down and some good music cranked up.

One of my favorite things about driving to college though is the view of the city I get to see each day. I have to drive over a viaduct to get to campus, and it always gives a perfect view of downtown. Most of the time the sun is rising as I drive across and the sky paints a gorgeous backdrop of the city.

I see it every day, but every time I still have to steal a couple glances at the city as I drive by. A lot of times my breath catches in my throat because I can't get over how lucky I am to live here.

So even though sometimes I'm about ready to pull my hair out because of the traffic, the view of the city from the viaduct always calms me down and puts me in a better mood to start the day, especially if it's a particularly pretty sunrise.

{This is a view of the city at sunset from the viaduct that I took last fall (not while I was driving!), and it doesn't even do it any justice of what the sky looks like when the sun is peaking up over the buildings.}

The view is just one of the little things in life that make it worth living, and I'm thankful for simple things like colorful sunrises and even more vibrant cities to call home.