Hi hi hi hiiiiiiii. Depending on when you read this, it could be a lovely or sunny or stormy or chilly or nasty. Who knows! Weather surprise!
(Unrelated, but this reminds me of a commercial from the early 90s for ‘Puppy Surprise,’ a stuffed toy dog with an unknown number of puppies inside and a jingle I still get stuck in my head to this day.)
Few things have resonated as much for me lately as Emily Flake’s comic Visions of the Post-Pandemic Future (Revised) from The New Yorker a couple weeks ago. Being alone for hours and hours at a time for over a year really is turning me into a weird little toad. On one hand, I crave social interaction, and on the other, I still don’t really feel comfortable being around a lot of people yet since you know, there’s still variants of a panini outside.
My ability to focus is still terrible, and for me and my ADHD brain that means really terrible. At this point, I’m limping along with a concentration like a sprained ankle (been there, say my loose joints). The timers and focus tricks can only work for so long. What I need is to burn a whole bunch of pent up energy. I know for some of you it sounds weird, but imagine having to go to a party every single day for 13 months except you know, reverse it. Just a simple “How are you?!” shouting match with an acquaintance in the neighborhood gives me a rush of dopamine. Going to Costco has been like clubbing for me.
An over abundance of isolation and quiet time drains me as much as too much socialization exhausts introverts. I really tried not to talk about it much but I’ve spent a whole year feeling like a wrung out dishrag and I’m starting to crack.
Tuesday will be two week since my vaccination. Would it be irresponsible to write in a coffee shop again? God, I miss writing in a coffee shop. And going to the movies. AND DANCE PARTIES. Karaoke! I really miss it all.
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Thanks for reading this (or scrolling to the bottom and letting this catch you eye). I write and edit this myself rather quickly, so please forgive any spelling or grammar errors. Links to my social and website can be found below. If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee, you can do so here or here and I will say cheers in your name. Feel free to send along any questions or comments. xox