Drawn

I took the train to Philadelphia to visit a university I'm looking at for graduate school as well as to visit the Philly Museum of Art. The day began early to catch the 8 a.m. train from Lancaster that would bring us--my friend who came along with me and I--to the 30th Street station.

I'm an English major now. My dream has always been to write and publish novels (which I'm working on getting to the publishing part now with my first completed novel), but for the past two years I decided that I wanted to work my way into the fiction publishing world as an editor. While this is something that is still an option, I also declared a minor in women and gender studies and took a class in gender and communication that opened my mind to another path into the future. This new option of putting myself deeper into academia en route to professordom both excited and stressed me. It just made the thought of graduating next year feel even heavier. Despite still being groggy from sleep in the train, anticipation bubbled in my chest the whole ride and even stepping out of the station onto the city's sidewalk.

After getting coffee, we walked around the campus in a chilly mist until we found the communication building where I was to meet with someone from the program I will be trying to get into come fall and discuss the degree and what they're looking for. As we talked, I began to feel more comfortable in the idea of applying for the field of study, but wasn't sure I wanted to commit to the university.

Then she took me upstairs for a tour of the department.

My sheer luck, the retiring head of the department was working in his office despite the winter break. We talked for what felt like hours, but it was great. He explained my options in detail as well as really dug into what the program was about, deeming my explanation for why I was choosing that field of study as a good fit. Not only did he give me hope that I could get into the program, but he also gave reassurance that I was making the right choice in changing my academic path a little.

I walked with my friend to get lunch buzzing with excitement, but that had only been half of the day.

Following lunch, we walked about 20 minutes to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, spending hours exploring the various art periods. We made it through the entirety of the museum in the timeframe we'd allotted ourselves before having to catch the train home. It was a wonderful way to destress and admire art.

The walk home is when it really hit: I was where I wanted my future to be.

While we retraced our steps to return to the train station and crossed the bridge spanning over the highway once again, I stopped in the middle to look at the cityscape. The rain was picking up to become more than a mist and the fog was rolling in. I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture.

Playing with the settings, I altered the highlights, shadows, exposure, and blackpoint before adjusting the long exposure for light trails. It's a relatively simple process with my editing options on my phone, though my background in photography was helpful too. I wanted to bring out the vividness of the lights while having the gloom to contrast. Happy with the end product, my eyes were drawn to the image as we traverse back to Lancaster. This snapshot became symbolic of the moment that cleared the fogginess of where my future was headed.

This is my Mobile Moment.