The Great Wait for "Real Life" to Start
Since this is a blog about the year after college I figured it's best to be honest. I have no summer job. I have no car. I sit at home with my 14 year-old brother Monday through Friday. But, hey, I'm not complaining. I've never been more relaxed. I've made some positive changes so far - and it's only June! I decided to go gluten-free, discovered I needed glasses, and embarked on an 18-hour road trip with my best friend. In case anyone was wondering - and I highly doubt anyone is - here's my life. (You're welcome.)
I start my day around 10 am. Always slow to wake up, I check my Instagram feed for any exciting developments that may have occurred overnight (shocker: there's none). Eventually I work my way out of bed and head towards the kitchen for breakfast. I pour my Sunny D while waiting the allotted one minute for my grits in the microwave. This is riveting, am I right?
I get back in bed and watch a few episodes of a show on Netflix. Once I'm bored enough to fall asleep again, I decide it's time for a new activity. Maybe I'll go swimming. Maybe I'll work on that painting that's been lying on the floor for a few days.
Actually, I'll probably just stay in bed. I'll find a new show to watch. No, I don't have the brainpower to comprehend a new storyline and character quirks. Ugh, so many choices. (Life is hard.)
It's 1 pm. I force myself to go outside. Getting a little vitamin D never hurt anybody (except the sunburn of July 2010...). As I lay my towel in the prime sun spot, the new Florence + the Machine album is blaring (you have to listen; the horns on this album are in-cred-i-ble). Halfway through the third song I'm bored… again. Lying outside in the heat alone was a terrible idea. My skin isn't even capable of tanning. I alternate between swimming and floating for an hour and a half. By this time my face is melting - a clear sign it's seek refuge in the A/C.
I look in the mirror and discover I've made a summer rookie mistake: leaving my sunglasses on too long and now I have an embarrassing sunglass-burn line. Oh well. After a quick shower I go sit on the couch with my brother. We don't speak. Each time he moves I give him my best side-eye. Obviously it's not as intimidating as I imagine it to be as he laughs and continues to slowly inch me off the couch.
It's 4:30. You know what that means: my daily rant concerning the host of Jeopardy. Alex Trebeck. I'm already feeling the rage building. He infuriates me. Who does he think he's fooling? He can't possibly know every answer to every question. Why is he being so condescending everything someone gives the wrong answer?! ITS ALL WRITTEN ON YOUR CARD, ALEX. THE CONTESTANTS ARE PULLING FROM THEIR OWN KNOWLEDGE! THE WRITERS RESEARCHED IT FOR YOU!
During commercial breaks I go to Twitter. As I causally scroll through my timeline, I see a photo of Harry Styles wearing some ridiculously patterned shirt. Cue eye roll. Click the link anyway. Think how unfair it is that he exists yet I still don't know him. Or Niall. I mean, really? Moving on. Time to pin some gluten-free recipes I'll never make.
Dad comes and gets me for dinner. We sit in the den and debate what movie we'll watch tonight. Maybe we'll just watch a regular TV show. I spend the next few hours petting my dog, playing Candy Crush, and complaining about the amount of "open letters to my future husband" have been shared on Facebook today. Oh, look at that. It's 10 pm. Time for bed.
And that is how you waste an entire day.
I like to think of this time as the “calm before the storm.” The past few months have been a whirlwind of change. The next few months will be even more overwhelming as I move to Tucson to start my year of service. So, for now, I'll take a boring summer in my wait for “real life” to start.
