The Life of a Formalist

My day according to formalism is as follows. Please note that each of these descriptions could be completely wrong and interpreted in a wildly different way.

Although I normally wake up at 6:55 on the dot, today I woke up at 6:56. This was a grave mistake on my part and it did foreshadow the death of my pet frog, Barnaby. Yes, my frog was elderly and I fed him nothing but corn chips but these are minor, insignificant details.

I put on a pair of my earrings- dazzling green gem studs. They of course represented my deep love for nature, especially pine needles (because they are green). The studs do not fall off my ears at all during the day because of the steadfast commitment I have in fighting for improved environmental policy change. I can hardly contain my excitement- my earrings now have a double meaning! RIP Barnaby.

My first Zoom class of the day goes swimmingly. Unless I analyze deeper...I glance at the mute button a few times. Ah, the mute button: a tangible reminder that there will always be a barrier in the way of me being able to communicate freely. My finger hovers over the unmute option during all my classes...waiting...waiting. Finally, a teacher asks me a question. It’s fate! Just as I was thinking about the mute button, she calls on me! A single bead of sweat rolls down my face-- or is it a tear? (I will spend an entire day debating the ambiguity of this droplet of water, this symbol of anxiety relinquished once and for all).

Nervously, I unmute and answer. My answer is a simple word: “Yes” but it contains multitudes. Not only am I answering yes to “Did you submit the document?” but I know (deep down) I am saying YES to my entire future and all my hopes and dreams!