"Raindrops on roses…"

Today I was wandering into the HFAC (because I live there) and I started thinking about how I like it there. So I decided to make a list of my favorite places here. I have lots of other favorite places, like my home, the cabin, Nauvoo, wherever my family and my cat are, and my bed, but these are my favorite places here at BYU:

-The E wing in the HFAC. That's where I spend most of my time when I'm not at home or in class. The fourth floor is where most of the instrumental professors have their offices, and there is always music. There's at least two pianos going constantly, as well as a bassoon or an oboe or a tuba or a horn. Even at 7:45 in the morning you can hear a trumpet concerto wafting from that direction. I like walking through the hallway on the second floor and listening to all the students in the practice rooms. There's a lot a lot of talent here, and it's fun to hear snippets of different songs and styles as I pass by. And I tend to run into Nauvoo friends down there because they live there too. :)
-The brick walkway that runs from the Smith Field House to the Maeser Stairs. It's halfway up the hill and surrounded by trees. It feels very secluded and peaceful. If you walk quietly enough, no one knows you're there and you can be still and listen to the birds sing.
-The hill in front of the testing center. From there you can look out across the entire valley and see the mountains at the other end. It's a magnificent view.
-The JFSB courtyard in general and the fountain in particular. I like to sit on the edge of the fountain and soak up the sunlight as I play in the water. For some reason that is incredibly soothing. The fountain makes just the right amount of watery background noise, the cool water feels just right when you're sitting on the sun-warmed granite, and sometimes students will bring their children by and you can watch cute little kids run around.
-The main floor of the MOA. It's light and airy even though it's mostly stone, it always smells so good at noon when I get out of class because the Cafe is open, and if you stand in the right place you can see Christ in Carl Heinrich Bloch's painting of the Pool of Bethesda.

My favorite places are the peaceful ones, the little pockets of stillness and sunshine and greenery and music in this busy world. These are places where I can go and let the world fall away for a moment. I don't have to think, I can just be. We don't do that enough. We need to take more time to sit and savor the joy of being alive.