It's a Nice Day.

Prompt #5: "You are an Astronaut. Describe your perfect day."

My favorite day is... actually a little corny, I guess you could say. Most people would think it's the day you get chosen for the mission, or the day you landed on the moon, or even the days it takes to go to and from. Honestly, though, I think my perfect day would have to be the day we landed back on Earth.

I mean, there's definitely something amazing about launch day. All that training that goes into that moment makes the payoff a little sweeter, and you can just feel the power in the rocket lifting you into the air. It's not enough to prepare you for what's next, though. There's this... surreal feeling as you exit the atmosphere that's almost like... leaving reality. It's the first time that you truly see the entire world in a new perspective. Then, of course, there's the obvious change of gravity. Everything is so much lighter, so weightless. You are so far away from everything you've known, that even life's stresses lose their weight. Then, being on the moon is just incredible, of course. It's such an alien landscape. Something that seems so familiar at home is this... completely different thing once you are up there. It's beautiful, but dangerous, which only lends to it's beauty, I think.

But, coming back, which is a three day trip, by the way. That's a trip unlike anything else. The last day, the arrival, is more surreal than the trip out. I remember the last hours so vividly. It was a blue canvas with splashes of green and strokes of white at first. As we got closer, though, more colors appeared. Soon, we could see yellows and reds in the deserts, then the bright outline of shores. Then we could differentiate different blues in the waters. Visually, it was like watching the world paint itself back into the pictures that we could all recognize. Physically, as we entered the atmosphere, it shook us back to reality. We were back in the familiar pull of our home's once inescapable gravity. The occasional turbulence of different pieces of our vehicle being released as our own weight came back to us. Then the parachute comes out, and we begin the slow decent. Enough time to think about everything we've done. It's hardly believable, though. Looking up at the sky and thinking 'Were we really just out there? For so long?' Not long ago, it was only being dreamed of, and that's what it seemed like. A dream.

But my favorite part of that day, bar none was after all of that. After we were picked up, and taken back, we did what we had been waiting to do for a long while. Meeting our friends and family again. Not to tell them about all the things we've seen, although we did, of course. I can't speak for my fellow travelers, of course, but my reasons were a little selfish. When I had that moment, the one where you see family after a long break, it felt the same as launch day. Seeing the smiles they had, and hugging loved ones. It all felt weightless, like all worries and troubles had been left floating somewhere far away once again. That was my favorite day.

Future Status

Welp. It's been a long gap again. At this point I guess that was to be expected. Or maybe this ever being updated again was the thing that was to be unexpected. Believe it or not, I've been pretty busy... going places. "Hur hur he said the title" ... Yes, but it's true. Traveling in the summer, then suddenly moving to a college by a rushed, but not rash decision. I guess that might need explanation. I knew I would go here, but I didn't think it would be this past year until... about three weeks before move-in day.

But I'm not here to make excuses! I'm here to make dreams come true!

Okay, not really. I'm actually here to look in this book that provided the prompts for my last three posts from last year and see what the next one is. ... Huh... alright. Make some facebook statuses from 2017. Glad I didn't wait four years to do this, otherwise it would be kind of bland.

Well, gee golly, what's happening in 2017? I'll (hopefully) be a year away from graduation. I'll be twenty seven years old. Which makes me kinda feel awful typing those two things in a row. So... probably one status like:

"One more year until I graduate! Then only two years until my mid-life crisis!"

Mainly because I've always been a fan of self-depreciating humor. Also, in the past two or three years, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a narcissist. Some of you are tired of hearing me admit that, probably. But, the fact is, the more I admit it, the easier it is to not be so narcissistic. Which is saying a lot. Because it's also like... super easy for me to think I'm great. In fact...

"Man. I am so great."

... Actually, by then I'll hopefully be a little more over myself, so let's change that to:

"Man, I am so grateful."

Yeah. That sounds like something an older and wiser me would say. ... Or something I guess I would say now, since thinking of it somewhat proves that I already have that capacity. Hmm. Typing in a stream of consciousness style is pretty therapeutic it would seem. I should do this more often. OH! Here's a status I'll hopefully be putting up.

"Hey, check out this new blog post! It's about stuff!"

Haha get it? Because... that would mean... that I actually... kept up with this. *cough cough* ... But, this book has six hundred and thirty eight more prompts after this one, so I should be good for... quite a while. Anyway, let's throw in a few other statuses I'd like to put up.

"I sure do love my job!"
"Almost done writing that book!"
"So pumped they put The Cape back on the air in 2014"
"That moment when you have to use your backup porsche! #embarrassed"
"Kept getting stopped at the mall because people wanted autogra-

Okay, let's stop there. Things were getting a bit too intensely self-indulgent. Also, I just realized that my break is about over and I should probably get back to homework. I'll be back here soon for the next prompt.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Talking to a fern.

You have a lot to live for, you know.

I know it sounds cliché, but its true.

Everybody who has met you has commented on how good you always look.

No, you aren't just a wall-flower.

Well, for one: You usually hang out near the window.

Yeah, I know. You like the sun.

No, yeah. I mean I like rain more, but whatever floats your boat.

Yeah, I know you like rain, too.

I thought you said you had enough water here!

Well obviously not when I was gone, but you said you could handle yourself!

Look, maybe it's time for you to move out.

I dunno. We'll go to the park and I'll dig a hole to put you in. See how you like that.

You'll meet lots of new people.

Your diet won't be as regular as it is in here, but you should get by.

Yeah, you'll have friends like you to help you out, I'm sure.

Guess we can try it in a few days. Once you get back to health in here.