Rachel Braun

My most important daily ritual happens in the morning. I am an early riser because the only weatherman I trust is Al Roker and he comes on the Today Show at 7 am. Before 7 am, I have to make a pot of Folgers Classic Roast coffee while listening to NPR’s Up First podcast. After the coffee is made, I journal in a hardcover, dotted Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I am not a very good writer naturally, so I try and do it every day to improve. In my journal, I write about what I am thankful for, my long term goals, and what I want to accomplish that day. I see it as more of a list of opportunities than a to-do list. During this time, I try to stay off my phone as long as possible to start my day being proactive rather than reactive

I would choose The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions). When I was little, I thought it was the coolest book on my parent’s bookshelf. The book is 832 pages long and is almost 2 inches thick. I am very short and if I had this book to sit on during important events I think I would look much more presentable. This book contains all five novels of Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s series. The description of the book at Barnes & Noble states that the book is “Decorative, durable, and collectible”, so obviously this would be a stellar item to live with for the rest of my life. Besides the physical nature of the book, it's content has given me advice that I live by today. For example, it tells its readers to always bring a towel due to the nature of its vast utility. Genius.