As of tomorrow, it will officially be spring. If that six-letter word is not enough to get your heart racing, your skin tingling, and to force you to put on a floral dress, I don’t know what else is. Snow is melted, the sun stays out longer, clocks changed, and temperatures are reaching degrees warm enough to wear dresses without tights. Grass is beginning to turn green, trees are growing buds, and the promise of flowers seems to be heavy upon the ground.
Of all of the wonders of spring, one of my personal favorites is the promise of good music. Around March 1st, I leave the lazy, slow drones of my winter music to discover the pep of a good beat, a light melody, and a breathy voice. Instantly, I feel my body loosen. No more tired eyes, no more lethargic afternoons. No ladies, the power of music (and beautiful weather) has me outside with the sun at my back and headphones in my ears.
There’s no one who knows this better than our next campus cutie. As a music fanatic himself, Marcus Noyes knows all too well the way music can change a mood or put an extra little pep in your step. Simply put, Marcus listens to just about anything from country twang, to dub-step, to screamo, to folk. “I listen to everything,” Marcus explained. Perhaps his broad taste in music is best seen in the fact that he once played drums for AULOS, a pop-punk band, yet claimed Southern Rock as his current favorite genre.
If you missed it the first time, I’ll repeat: Marcus has both been in a band AND plays the drums. If the thought of him dropping a beat isn’t enough to make your heart forget its own beat, I don’t think anything ever will. Though our cutie has since had to leave the band with the demands of school, one of his greatest accomplishments still finds itself in his time with the band—recording an album.
Recently, our cutie had the opportunity to record in the studio at the University of Madison in Wisconsin. Marcus described the experience of making an album as one-of-a-kind. Creating a song, and hearing all of its parts come together into one, was definitely an accomplishment in and of itself. Not to mention the hours spent slaving over the right tempo, the right key, the correct pitch, etc.
Aside from his music, Marcus often finds himself working on mass quantities of schoolwork. As a Pre-pharmacy student here at UNI, our cutie hits books on such topics as chemistry and biology—the very courses that make my head spin. However, Marcus always knew he wanted to work in the medical field, and knew exactly the work he was getting himself into. With eight years left in school, some may call him crazy—but I call him dedicated. “It’s hard, but I think it’s interesting,” said Marcus after I gawked over his perspective eight-year college experience.
Within the next ten years, our cutie hopes to be working as a pharmacist either here in Iowa, or hopefully somewhere south, like the Carolinas or Alabama. But, for the time being, Marcus is enjoying his life at the one and only UNI. On any given night you can find him hanging with his roommates, bro-ing around, rocking to a good song, strumming the guitar, or cooking a homemade feast.
Apart from the drums, music, recording, and homework—this cutie is just your average “bro”. He enjoys video games, growing his hair out too long, climbing random buildings, and hanging with his guys until the wee hours of the morning. And much like any other guy, he dreams up his future spouse. Surprisingly (yet, good for all of us), Marcus conceded to not caring about looks…at all. Instead, he is attracted to a person based more upon their personality and their “cool-factor”. “I am attracted to people who can “take” me,” Marcus explained, “they have to be able to dish humor out and be able to take it right back.” I know we’ve all heard the line: personality is more important than appearance. Yet, the line causes many of us singles to laugh and roll our eyes. But what if for one second we believed it?
I sit here in a local coffee shop from my hometown, sipping on my iced dirty chai and trying to think what it is that I want to get across to all of you girls (and guys) out there. I am reminded of a recent line I read from a book, convicting me to spend as much time working on my heart as I do in front of the mirror.
Can you imagine? I don’t know about you, but my day starts early enough to get showered, hair dried and styled, make-up applied, and outfit assembled. An hour and a half later all I have accomplished with my day is primping. And for what? Is my life purpose to have people see me for the outfit I put on or the way I style my hair? I sure hope not. I hope better for you and I—and you should too.
We aren’t fashioned for fashion to be our daily goal. We’re fashioned for relationships—ones that go deeper than outward appearances. If we truly believed that, we’d start working on our hearts for just as long or perhaps longer, than we work on our faces. After all, at the heart of every relationship is not a similar fashion sense or hairstyle. No ladies, at the heart are the very hearts that come together—and if both are beautiful, well…then you have something truly special.
So next time you complain to your friends of a “bad hair day” or to “feeling pudgy” give your heart a day to itself. Go for a bike ride, a hike, or perhaps even pick up a good book or listen to your favorite band. Spring days like these weren’t given to you so that you could sit in front of a mirror analyzing your appearance.