Early

The exact events that occurred on May 12, 2016, as recorded in my journal. Because my ordinary day felt nothing less than extraordinary.

I took the gold line from Azusa to Monrovia. $1.75.

Next to the new Monrovia station was the old Monrovia station in all its decrepit glory, boarded up with a flimsy fence covered in ads all around it.  As soon as I saw it, I wanted to go in. My heart jumped when it saw a viable opening, but sank back down when it saw the cop car parked right beside it. I got off the train and walked past the two of them. I hope the cop recognized the trespasser in me. Making sure I didn't hop the fence to the building I was staring at longingly was probably the most interesting part of his day. I walked on.

I stopped at "Troy Donuts and Burgers" and bought a donut. $0.80.

There was only one other customer in there when I walked in. He was sitting on a table, but I didn't stop to notice whether he was eating or not. I probably should have. I ordered a chocolate donut with rainbow sprinkles, but he gave me a chocolate donut with chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles. I didn't have the heart to correct him. Besides, you can almost never have too much chocolate.

He only accepted cash, so I had to use the funny looking ATM they had so conveniently placed next to the cash register. I probably should have minded having to take out $20 for my $0.80 donut, but I didn't.

"I need cash anyway," I told the guy at the register. When he gave me my $19.20 back, I put the $0.20 in the tip jar and left with a final "thank you."

When I was a little ways away from this small, old establishment, I turned around and took a single picture. I'm going to tell people about this little donut shop/burger joint in Monrovia, off of Myrtle. The lack of a possessive noun didn't bother me until I had looked at the picture later.

I stopped and sat in front of a building with a sign that read, "Higher Education."

This is how I chose to use up forty-five minutes. This place is right around the corner from the family that I'm babysitting for. In my usual fashion, I'm early.

A middle aged women walked up to me and asked me if I was waiting for someone from inside the building. She looked at me funny when I said I wasn't.

I only noticed one person walking in front of me the entire half hour I've been here, but I could have just not noticed.

A few days ago, a friend was telling me about how someone had told her and a group of students how most of us would not go on to lead extraordinary lives. Some of us were doomed to be ordinary. Well, he didn't say doomed. He said that ordinary was just fine.

I have never and will never want to lead an ordinary life. However, today I learned to find a little bit of extraordinary in the ordinary. Walking down the street and deciding on a whim that you want a donut may not seem so exciting at first, but that first bite into chocolatey goodness might just be all the excitement I needed. At least for today, anyway.