Sidelines

V. ROUTINE

6:30am

That's the time I wake up every morning so that I can make it in time for my 8am class.

I'm really not a morning person but this is something I have to do for myself, for the past two years so far.

I hate it because after the class I have to wait until 12 for my next class. There's no point of really going back to Jersey after 9:45 so I'd rather stay in campus or do something else for the time being. It's only this semester anyways.

I follow my daily routine that I don't fail to ever forget doing. Everything that I use are on the lighter side considering I have eczema and it breaks out every single season which I extremely hate.

I don't really do much with my hair since it just flows on it's own. I'm blessed that my hair isn't really high maintenance.

It's October right now and lately it's been cold so I've decided to wear a heat tech turtle neck and one of my vintage crew necks on which belonged to Lolo with just sweatpants because I'm just a little lazy today.

6:47am

My clock reads as I gather my stuff together in my backpack before I forget. My notebook, pencil case, laptop, charger, hygiene bag just for emergencies, my wallet, and keys.

6:50 am

I rush down to make a quick iced matcha latte. I can grab a bagel from the bakery on the corner so everything works out. It seems like my mom is still out on her business trip and dad comes home around 8:30ish to 9 so it's really just me.

By the time I'm ready, I zip up my Northface Jacket which was a gift from Tita Nika and I slip on my midnight clover converse high tops which was a gift from Atlas himself.

After locking the door I grab a bagel with just cream cheese from the bakery and make my way to the Path Station.

8 minutes for the next train to WTC and 5 minutes for the 33rd.

7:15am

My phone now reads so the best I can do is take WTC since it's about 15 minutes and walk to the hall I have my first class in.

I keep my AirPods in and shuffle for my morning commute playlist on while taking a bite of my bagel.

By the time the train comes it's not as packed for it being Monday. If I'm starving then I'll eat on the train but if not then I keep my mask up. Dad would kill me if he found out I'm on the train without my mask on.

I take another look at the paper I submitted a few days ago for my contemporary poetry class since I'm taking Creative Writing as my major.

I fell in love with writing, it was something I've done ever since I was younger. The words and their meanings. The way you could write in depth and bring much more meaning to it.

You have this endless imagination within your grasp and control to write what you feel and whatever you please.

Lolo taught me how to write before I could read and I think it was a good idea. He always had me practice writing my full name, even Atlas learned too.

He always read Atlas and I poetry and stories whenever we'd go to their house growing up.

He'd tell us how he wrote Lola love letters when they were younger and had us practice writing letters too.

I miss him a lot and I know that Atlas does too and writing is a way I still have that connection with him.

I've dedicated a lot of my pieces to him in the smallest ways possible ever since he passed.