Create Your Own Adventures

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I awoke this past Saturday morning and realized that I didn't have any plans. I was tempted to stay inside my flat, hunkered down under my blankets. I decided however that I wasn't going to let myself waste a perfectly good (if cloudy) day sitting inside when I could be creating my own adventure. I set out into the streets of Oxford with no plan. I simply meandered and allowed the sidewalks to tell me where to go next. My first stop was a lovely little bookshop on Walton street. The store was small in comparison to other bookshops around Oxford, but had a much homier feeling. I purchased a copy of Jane Austen's Emma before setting back out on my adventure. As I walked around town, I allowed myself the space to slow down. To take in the skyline, the noises around me, and the people rushing around. When I sat down in a cafe, I had a piece of blackcurrant and orange cake and gave myself permission to just sit and enjoy it. Not scrolling on my phone at the same time or talking to someon else, just enjoying the cake.
I ended my day by sitting in Port Meadow in the rain. I had originally planned to read, but the rain dampened that plan a bit.
It was so very refreshing to allow myself to just be for the day. To slow down, to take in the sounds surrounding me and feel the rain as it fell against my skin.
- Mariah Gorham

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