By Breanna Penney

It’s seven as the sun charges up the east horizon, while the night masquerades its silky, black armor, only to retreat down the west. Another day, founded by the invasive bloom of yellows and soft orange kisses. The morning greets the world with an immaculate glow, as a customer in a coffee shop explodes in a fiery rage. His triple-shot, nonfat, vanilla, extra hot, no-foam latte took two seconds too long to make, therefore making him two seconds later for work. Such a world, where the man would be found sympathetically holding his mother’s hand that evening as she drifted away, along with a story only time could remember. The anger, the regret, the sorrow, and the pain were followed by another early trip to the coffee shop, where he slumped down in a café chair. Silently, he lifted his head to stare out an old window nearby, patiently watching the dark sky. His gaze breaks to find the barista he had yelled at yesterday, handing him the same triple-shot, nonfat, vanilla, extra hot, no-foam latte, charging him only a smile.

Our challenges are fought between the chapters of a day, even in the most unfair circumstances. We are constantly moving forward, and whether each step is spent with a friend, family member, stranger, or alone, we can agree that as an empty Word document, there is a story waiting to be created. There is a constant argument on whether or not we shape the story, or if the story shapes us.

Though I believe that the small truth behind a few coffee-shop trips is beyond speculation. Things are as they are. It is once we find a well-deserved beauty in the kindness of a person, the colorful break of morning, the darkness of the clouds, or the connection between two people, that we find a story superior to words.

In the wake of 2017, the anxieties that have plagued common humanity have offered us the opportunity to understand and grow, not to battle with hatred. Although only eight percent of recorded history has been spent in peace, according to the New York Times, we can still find peace in justice, love, and the understanding of others. In the next couple of months, I will be exploring the various life challenges and victories among anonymous students of all colors, beliefs, backgrounds, and opinions. Without the immense diversity that SMCC offers, we might as well be considered uncommon, rather than common. Therefore, it is to our diverse, unusual nature that I present “We Are SMCC: Around the World” for this spring semester.