Hello, how are you.
I’m fine.
Fine is a blur made of leftover chorizo taco bowls, sleepless nights, a creative restless maniac mind that won’t stop but few places to put the energy. A late night drive to Marion to take pictures of a lightning storm, but I wait 20 minutes for 11 gallons at the Marathon so now the lightning’s headed to Cincinnati and I go home. Ridiculous dates with a stuffed animal named Dylan. A note in my phone consisting of a strange list of ideas about pringles and jail time and nonexistent boyfriends and bad attitudes. Polite emails exchanged with photojournalists and not-photojournalists. Guilty third coffees and non essential sugar, an obsolete YMCA schedule on the fridge, canceled flights, canceled AirBnbs (this is a very difficult time for your host, please explain why you are canceling in at least 200 characters), canceled drinks with friends, canceled being at my daughter’s side as she gave birth to a girl on Passover. Canceled life as I knew it before This, making room for a new That. The weirdness that is Tiger King (why the hell did I even watch that), a 4 night Jameson Coke streak, construction crews, peanut butter with a spoon, Shut Up and Play The Hits. I don’t remember what happened before mid February. It stays light later, and that makes the days feel longer which is hard sometimes, but then the nights are shorter which is good. I go for walks on the Greenway and when I wear my white baseball cap everyone looks at me a little differently and I wonder why.
Hello, I’m fine is a little tears now and then but a lot of silly when almost everybody else seems way too serious, and not minding whether that makes me unPC or not. Fine is a little face with a perfect chin, her name is Josephine. It’s thank you for sending that funny text about your gift wrapped tires and making me laugh. Fine is burning the blueberry pancake candle. Putting the laundry in and washing the guest towels as if you were here, and picking up the Joseph Campbell book, right where I left off.