Orange Soda
When we arrived after almost two and a half hours of tedious travel on water, I was really delighted to see the drinks on the table. The minute the cold, refreshing orange soda hit my tongue, I felt an overwhelming satisfaction. The long, stiflingly humid ride left us perspiring profusely from the hours spent cramped together on the boat, making my quench even more poignant. However, stepping onto the wooden floor of the resort immediately marked my transition into a vacation mood. The cool and fizzy orange drink bubbling in my mouth felt like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert, rejuvenating me.
Maybe it wasn’t so much about a cool and fizzy drink on a warm day during a school trip to Indonesia. I realized that it wasn’t just the refreshing soda that brought me such joy. I was weary, and it was only the beginning of the school year. The heavy course load, looming stress of applications, and the constant anxiety about my future path was already taking a toll. The retreat was a much needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Not only that, deep inside, I was anxious. Having attended SAS since first grade, I can pretty much say that I’ve spent my whole life in the same environment. Now, the time I have left with my friends and at this school is beginning to slip away from my fingers. We’re on a countdown and I don’t feel prepared for the smack of the gavel marking the end of my known reality — the imminent departure from high school, friends, a routine of 12 years, and a place I’ve called home.
The Telunas writing retreat offered an opportunity for me to momentarily let go of my worries — the uncertainty and excitement of embarking on a new journey — and relax, reconnecting with my friends and getting to know the nonfiction cohort a little better.
The artificial sweetness of the drink felt like Tinkerbell sprinkling her magical fairy dust. A fleeting, manufactured sweetness. Much like the effervescent fizz and sugary orange burst of the soda, the retreat was a sweet respite from the looming bitterness of separation. Yet, there was a lingering awareness that this joy was short lived. The orange soda with its bright color and sugar taste did mask bigger anxieties, but not in a negative way. Life is full of bittersweet transitions, and perhaps we need these bursts of minute joys to get us through them. The important thing is to savor them, to remember that even small, sweet moments have value.
As I stood on the villa’s deck, the humid air clinging onto my skin, my initial worries started to fade away. I was just enjoying the coolness of the drink, so engrossed with the atmosphere of the resort that I didn’t realize my scalp was sunburnt! The wooden planks beneath my feet creaked gently, blending in with the rhythmic lapping of the ocean waves, and I began to truly relax.
The orange soda may have just been a drink, but it became a symbol of pause, a reminder that it’s alright to take a break occasionally and cherish the small joys life has to offer. Sometimes we forget that contentment makes little things in life simpler and more enjoyable. In a world where happiness is short lived, I often overlook fulfillment which comes in minuscule packages. Why do we seek unnecessary complications that may render anxiety? In the chaos of deadlines to meet and to-do lists, the orange soda presents itself. The artificial sweetness of the orange soda mirrors the trip. A short lived burst of happiness, soon to become a memory in a photo album when we graduate and proceed with our new path in life.
But the sweetness hits when we need it most and gives that necessary boost. And so, I choose to enjoy the moment, so that when time comes, I will have no regrets. Once in a while, an orange soda isn’t so bad after all.