I’ve been go go go lately!  

I’m performing in a play this weekend, there are a few weeks of school left, I have loads of work to do, my dearest friends are graduating soon, and I have to move out of my favorite room in the near future.  

The days have been crazy is what I’m trying to say. It’s so hectic that I haven’t even had time to write in my journal.  

Today in my creative writing class called Short Story, I was sitting there, my mind whirling about what things I have to get done today. I was thinking all about what emails I have to reply to and what discussion board posts I need to complete, and, oh! Have I read that chapter in the textbook yet? Definitely not…  

My professor, Chuck Carlise, said, “Everyone takes out your keys.” 

So, we did. 

He told us to write down everything on our keychains.  

I have my ID, my house key, my dorm key, my car key, a tassel, my library card, a Wendy’s frosty card (thanks Taelyn), a pink thing saying my name, and a fidget butterfly.  

He asked if anyone would volunteer to list their things out loud so we could see what that says about them. Of course, I raised my hand! 

Classmates picked me apart by my keys, saying I’m a reader and that I must like Wendys. They know me so well. The character sketch started as small as, “she lives in a dorm and has a car.” It shifted to, “she must be busy.” 

This exercise got me into the analyzing mood. It got me thinking about how such small things can be indicators of huge personality traits.  

What are you wearing that says the most about you as a person?  

Do you own a library card? That says a lot about a person, in my opinion.  

Since this exercise got me in the writing and analyzing mood, I took some time out of my day later to just write in my pretty journal. I sat in front of the dressing room lights in CFA before going on stage. I’m excited about that part of my life right now. I’m in a play again for the first time since high school.  

I took some moments to myself today and reflected in my own words. I talked about my recent days, the people I’ve been hanging out with and the conversations I’ve been diving into. 

If you take anything away from this week’s column, let it be that it’s beneficial to slow down. Look at your key chain and take a deep breath. Have you ever taken a longer look at it? What’s it saying to you?