To buying that envelope, to bumping into strangers, to stepping out, to the fire engines and the great-looking babies. And of course, to the dancing animals. I saw this quote last week via @sambookshelf and was reminded, once again, how much the pandemic forbade our “dancing animals” — the joy one gets chatting with a stranger, bantering with the crossing guard, picking up a dropped pacifier to chase after a frazzled parent. A small reminder (to myself) to venture out for that envelope (and why I usually come back grinning when I do). #mondaymotivation (This quote is taken from a @pbs interview between David Brancaccio and Kurt Vonnegut via @thewirelessgirl.)

🍽️ the Art Cafe is fully booked this weekend. :) Join us next weekend by dm’ing to get your spot! See y’all soon!

I was single for all of my 20s and half of my 30s, so Valentine’s Day will always make me think of my friends. (Just please don’t make me say ’Galentine’s Day.’) | Tag a bestie, duh. — Text reads: Be       st Fri     ends I send you a rambling voice note about how maybe I should try a different shade of brow tint this time / a little lighter / not so harsh / what do you think? / You know the passcode to my phone / and the name of that one guy I met on Bumble who cried about the movie Groundhog’s Day / and how much it hurt to leave Chicago / We’ve lost hours plotting paint colors / text replies / outfits / trips / what will happen on the next Insecure / what to do with our lives / “why are men?!” / who to trust / when to let go / You’re a soft place to land / a hard, wheezing laugh / the closest I’ll come to another sister / I used to think all of this in-between stuff was the intermission / the rest stops along the way / the amuse-bouche / the filler flowers / but lately I’ve come to realize that all of this small stuff is the stuff / this is it / the main event / the blue plate special / a million little drops of love that fill the whole cup

this year, and beyond, i will move with my own mutability as a gift and no longer search for performative one-dimensionality. being home has taught me this, as i have had to witness my own shapeshifting and reckon with the deep-rooted reasons for it. i remember one day hearing adrienne maree brown and bayo akomolafe ask each other, “so what if i’m a shapeshifter?” and how they instinctually move and mutate through the cracks of the earth, and i haven’t stopped thinking about it since. this piece of writing is inspired by that question. as i become many different forms, i will stay grounded in my ever-changing essence and merge together the many shapes i am capable of becoming. 💞

You can never have a happy ending at the end of an unhappy journey; it just doesn’t work out that way. The way you’re feeling, along the way, is the way you’re continuing to pre-pave your journey, and it’s the way it’s going to continue to turn out until you do something about the way you are feeling. ~Abraham-Hicks #AbrahamHicks