REASONS WHY TODAY KICKS ASS
The world is (pretty much) ending, and I'm bummed about it. I'm quite frankly exhausted from the endless news about the hopelessness of existence and the inevitable doom of well, life... so I need to make myself feel better about this waste of time. Let's turn this around. Today is my birthday and I love birthdays - so here is a quick story about why today is a pretty kick-ass day - and why everyday should be.
Summer Evenings - I thrive in the summer. I wake up every summer wanting to throw up from excitement. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the air smells like freshly mowed grass. But the evenings... oh those summer evenings. They hit different. Half past 8 in the summer is not the time to stay inside. I live for the days when my only source of stress is the decision of whether or not to bring a sweater to the park hang, or how much SPF to put on even if I'll be inside all day anyway. The other night after dinner, my neighbourhood pal and I went to play tennis then shredded the ripstick on her driveway. I headed home during sunset playing super summer vibes in my headphones, got eaten alive by mosquitoes, and loved every minute of it. I got back just before 10PM to catch the last light from my bedroom window. In the winter I wouldn't be caught dead outside of my house past 5PM!
Those summer evenings between 8-9PM when the sun starts to set, but not fully set, and all you can hear are the soft sounds of outside. Those summer evening drives, with the windows down, tunes blaring, and you lose track of time. *Alexa, play Island in the Sun by Weezer* The light lingers long and late. Yeah, that.
Really Crisp Fruit - I thought summer evenings couldn't get any better, unless some really crisp fruit is thrown in there. Like when you bite into an apple and it breaks off perfectly with a satisfying crunch - none of those soft and gross Red Delicious - I'm talking a fresh, cold Honey Crisp straight from the fridge drawer. I just asked my sister why she thinks crisp fruit is the best, and she said, "Well because if it's mushy it's no good." So there you have it.
Top Sheets - Ah yes, an ongoing controversial topic between my friends and I. It's gotten so bad to the point where if I meet someone new, I'll eventually (and ever so slyly) bring it up in conversation to get their opinion. Top sheets clearly have made my day, so you can assume where I stand on them. Please tell me why you would not use a top sheet. It saves laundry day - you don't have to wash your duvet cover as often, because you have a nice top sheet as a barrier to prevent your gross little body from infesting all the covers. Your bed is a literal breeding ground ripe for microscopic life growth. And who actually enjoys stuffing the duvet cover? Plus! In the summer when you're sleeping in 30 degree heat, a top sheet is the perfect compromise to staying cool while still having the comfort of (barely) a blanket so the bad guys don't get you. Making my bed is a fun activity so why would I want to get rid of a crucial and satisfying step in my morning routine? Sure, you might get trapped and tangled in extra material - so just tuck it in! Like hotel bed linens: a structured delight! I could go on. Let me know if you are team top sheet or you think they're a scam. Opinions welcome (unless you're wrong). I've been compiling a list... for science.
Bacteria sitting on your body
Siblings - My built-in best friends. The only people that I can push down the stairs, make fun of like no other, fall apart and put myself back together - and they will still stick around. I hope because they want to, not because they have to. I can only speak for myself. The best part is that they never hold grudges because they are stuck with me for life. I remember one time, my little sister and I got in a screaming match over chocolate milk, stormed off to our respective rooms, then went on a movie date a few hours later as if nothing happened. One recess in first grade, I witnessed my older brother get sent to "the wall" because he bodychecked a kid a little too hard playing foot hockey. I cried, and begged the lunch supervisor to let him go because he's a good kid who didn't deserve to be punished. It wasn't his fault that kid had weak ankles. Sibling pacts are the strongest bond known to man. If a joke went too far, or a punch landed too hard, "Don't tell mom" was in our vocabulary from a very young age. No matter how old you get, a sibling never tattles. Sibling inside jokes are on another level. They make awkward family dinners fun, and if you're jealous of what your great aunt got you all for Christmas, with one quick head nod, you know you'll be trading colours later. They're the longest relationship(s) you'll ever have, so they better be good people - I love my people. My favourite memories of all time are always with my siblings. My biggest fans and my mortal enemies. I love those nerds. If you're lucky enough to meet Alex or AJ, tell them "swordfish." And I love being the middle child - suffering from exclusion, always the one being picked on, and overall inadequacy. I wouldn't change a thing!
Crew Necks - A wardrobe essential. You can never go wrong with a good crew neck. It goes with everything, everyone looks good wearing one, and they will never go out of style. Want to look like you "oh, just threw this on" but thought about it for an hour that morning? Crew neck. Like your dad wore it in the 80s then you found it in the attic and it's still perfect? Crew neck. Feel like it might get a little chilly later? Crew neck. They (and yes, plural) are an integral part of my life. One should own a plethora of crew necks for all occasions. I have too many - but if a freaking crew neck makes the cut from this list, you can imagine how much joy they bring me.
The Thesaurus - When I'm not writing creative masterpieces like this (I'm kidding - I already know this is trash. It's 1:00am and my fingers just started typing and I can't stop). Anyway - when I'm not writing stream of consciousness nonsense, the thesaurus is my best friend. I know what you're thinking, "What do you mean the thesaurus isn't a dinosaur?!" My thoughts exactly. A thesaurus is a great way to twaddle your way through a 3000 word art history paper without using the same words over and over just to make word count. Bet you didn't know what twaddle means. I do now - thanks to my trusty thesaurus. It is a great tool for expanding your vocabulary and finessing all your mates by peppering in new words that make you sound really smart and well read. It is the dictionary on steroids. Gone are the days of having words on the tip of your tongue and struggling to find cool catchphrases to impress your crush. You got the thesaurus for that.
Here's the link to my favourite one. You're welcome.
https://www.powerthesaurus.org
Kids - The innocent ones. Not millennials who grew up picmonkey-ing on the internet, or Gen Z corrupted by dabbing and woah-ing.. whatever those weirdos are doing these days. I mean the rad ones. Sometimes I still wish I was a kid who could throw a tantrum in the middle of Costco and no one would think twice about it. I wish I could have unlimited energy and ask the most uncomfortable questions with genuine curiousity without it being weird. Kids have absolutely no sense of urgency and I love it. Ever seen a kid stressed about taxes and apartment leases? I think not. Once I babysat this kid and I asked him when his birthday was and he replied with a confident “I don’t know.” He has no concept of time and I respect that. Later I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he told me a "chicken nugget." And you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if he made that happen. With sweaty bangs, skinned knees and loose teeth - kids are just doing their thing. They don't lose sleep over what some dweeb said to them yesterday at the park, or what they're going to wear for Show and Tell tomorrow. With awe in their eyes and not a care in the world, they are the best example of living in the moment. The kids are alright.
B.C. (Before Corona) I definitely took these small things for granted. Over the past few months of isolation and being incredibly overwhelmed with my ridiculous brain, these small things bring me a lot of excitement. I'm trying to get excited about the small, silly things - the ones that make my stomach do backflips, and the ones that accentuate the smile lines strung across my face like Christmas lights.
I'm working on embracing germs (safely), learning new words, and honing my childlike wonder. Hope you are too. Or don't - that's totally cool too. It's entirely your choice. No pressure whatsoever.
That's all from me today. It's a kick-ass day.