Rain boots, Christmas Spirit, and AIDS - Be kind to me, December

First of all, happy December - it's about time. Fall is typically my favorite time of year, however, December certainly is growing on me. With December comes Christmas lights, which are already draped around my dorm room along with some tinsel, hot cocoa, snow (hopefully) and, most of all, winter break. Fifteen more days of school and then I've got a few weeks to gather myself and come back to Philadelphia hopefully refreshed and ready to push through the rest of the year.

Anyway, not only is today the first day of December, but it's also World AIDS Day. Spontaneously, my roommate and a few girls from my floor made our way to Temple's Underground where Temple's Health Department (for those of you who go to Temple, learn a little more about HEART... with ten condoms for a dollar, free testing for just about anything you can get tested for, and plenty of other awesome information, it's a preferable first choice over, say, the doctor's office) was hosting a Red Lounge. We originally attended with the intent to watch Amy, a girl on our floor, perform in her dance group, however we stayed for most of the event, which featured step groups, theater groups, singers, musicians, and poets. One man in particular, though, stuck out to me - unfortunately, I can't remember his name. He's a fifty-something man suffering from AIDS who has some incredible information to share. He was diagnosed with AIDS a few months after a wild night out, during which he'd had a little too much to drink and was unable to defend himself when he was shoved into an alley and raped. He's been living with AIDS since, and though he generally looks a little ragged, a little worn, his aura is nothing but glowing positivity. One of his best friends passed away from AIDS merely hours before he came to speak to us - this man, he said, had no family, so he's responsible for the body, the funeral, the ceremony. He told us that his medications (he takes 44 pills a day - one pill is for AIDS, the others are to eradicate the symptoms of that single pill) are so expensive that he can hardly afford his own funeral, much less someone else's, but, with a weary smile, he said he would figure it out.

I know this has little to do with relieving stress - in fact, it does the opposite. I thought that it was worth mentioning though, as it was a major part of my day. I suppose I can tie in this piece of advice, though: look around the bulletin boards and sidewalks on campus and choose some events to attend. I never would have thought twice about this Red Lounge event, but I'm so grateful that I did - I will never, ever feel the same about AIDS, and the event almost convinced me to get tested, just to have that sense of complacency, as unnecessary as it might be. Anyway, go to that weird event, the one you think no one will attend but sounds interesting nonetheless. You never know.

On another, wetter, note, as cute as my brand new red Ralph Lauren rain boots are, I've never appreciated them for their practical purpose more than today, which served up a torrential downpour with a side of hurricane-esque winds - the weather was unbelievable. Happy December.

Keep calm,
Sarah