Candles

     I have strong feelings about ambiance. I also have strong feelings about bubble baths, chocolate, candles, and the moon. I've been called a 40 year-old housewife for this, and even though I am a strapping youth full of piss and vinegar, I didn't even mind. In fairness, that may be because the girl saying it is adorable, but it may also be because I actually don't mind being included in a clique of people who seem to be doing life right.

     Anyone who denies themselves the occasional guilty pleasure is hurting themselves for no good reason. Whether it's watching The Vampire Diaries or a slice of cheesecake, the enjoyment given by occasionally indulging can buoy our spirits for an hour, a day, or a week, and whatever small loss of time or gain in waistline may occur, it's better to go through life with that buoying joy.

     That's the same way I feel about ambiance. It takes almost no effort to turn out the lights and light the candles for dinner, but no one seems to do it. Same thing with bubble baths. Seriously, it's an hour of your time and it's the nicest thing to happen to your body since padding for chairs was invented. The lasting sense of satisfaction and feeling like all is right with the world(The technical name for this emotion is happy-cat-stomach) can last for the rest of the day and carry on into the next.

     Sure, you can't tell your friends about it the same way you could an impressive hike or long jog. But while your friends are complaining of sore muscles and sprained ankles, you can lean back and smile. In fact, if you are truly impressive, you can do the hike or jog and THEN take the bubble bath and brag about the both of them. Seeing as most of those reading this will be college students, that's perfect for the semi-active, off-and-on rigorous lifestyle we lead.

     It doesn't even need to be that much. (If it did, I'd be in trouble because I only have a shower. It's terrible. It's like watching horror movies without someone to cuddle with.) I have a set of electric candles, the rechargeable kind. Turning those on and arranging them around the room can turn something as normal as eating ice cream into a warm and fuzzy experience. You can watch them flicker as you go to sleep, like a little birdhouse in your soul. You shouldn't just take my word on this, but it's nice.

     And then you have chocolate. That's an old staple.There's a reason it's seen as romantic, and everyone agrees that it's fantastic, but we tend to leave it in its tiny romantic corner. This is a mistake, like missing a class or burning the library of Alexandria. Chocolate is good at ALL times of the day or night, and it's a travesty that we don't use it more often. If you've ever had chocolate pancakes in the morning, you can begin to appreciate what I mean. Unexpected chocolate from a friend is another good example, and having a stash for more difficult days is absolutely magical. (Take it from a kid who has such a stash.) You do want to watch out when giving any out, though. People can take a gift of chocolate all sorts of wrong, and if you don't want a relationship with someone you give chocolate to, you have to make that abundantly clear. It's annoying, really.

     A small change in ambiance can mark the difference between a date and a get-together, between something special and just another night. Ambiance makes times special, and why we'd choose to live a life with fewer special times in it is quite frankly beyond me. So find the small things that improve your life, and bring them out as often as you can, because our lives can always be better than they are, and this is something that can help with that.