Splash No. 263 - Mid 20s and it’s July
Mid 20s and it’s July
I saw a meme recently that I can’t stop thinking about. It shows two little cartoon characters carrying a third in a gurney. The first one asks the second, “What happened to him?” and the second responds, “Mid 20s and it’s July.” I fully feel like I’m in my mid-20s at this point, and nearing the end of July, I can relate a lot to the little guy passed out in the gurney. I’m not exhausted to the point of being carried anywhere, but it’s been an eventful month.
Since returning from my three week sojourn in Georgia, I’ve been saying yes to a lot of things and trying to enjoy the long daylight that summer provides. San Francisco weather is a fickle beast, and the uncharacteristically large number of warm days this month has made it feel like a mistake to stay inside or say no to plans. And so I’ve been doing a great number of things, making new friends, and having new experiences. Just tonight, some of my friends and I won trivia, which is something I’d never think I’d do after getting destroyed in every previous attempt. Time stretches longer — this was a month that lasted a dozen weeks, because I did a dozen things.
The longer I exist on this rock, the more I feel like an animal in some ways — the seasons affect me more than I’d like and my evolutionary instincts seem more obvious to me. Humans evolved to move a lot, eat less than we think we need, and to thrive in the company of people. I’ve been trying to do all of these things more while basking in the sunlight. I’d like to keep doing it as long as possible, but I know that sooner or later the fog will have its way and things will change.
I don’t dread the change though. With this season of my life, I feel expansive, stretching beyond the limits of what I’d previously known, relearning what the possibilities of my life can look like. I’ve never felt this way before. I imagine that I can maintain this mindset, even if the everyday actions of my life change. This current season offers me plenty of time to socialize and exercise. However, I’ve been finding less time to make and consume art, which feels unsustainable. Even as I discover the absolute joys of existing among friends and making new memories, it still feels like there’s something missing in my life without art being a fundamental piece of it all.
I’m learning new things in this season and planning to incorporate them into my life. I’m trying to learn how to play basketball and tennis so I can exercise and socialize and feel like I did something worthwhile. I think about how my favorite poets love the play basketball together when they meet up together. They pass the ball and shoot the ball and give each other high fives and go home and write beautiful poetry that moves people all around the world. Maybe that’s the life I’m moving towards, after July.
Drops of the Week
PLAYLIST - birthday chill vibes - I made a playlist for my birthday party
POEM - "I Cannot Say I Did Not" by Sharon Olds - "I asked, with everything I did not / have, to be born."
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Now and then,
Nikhil