There are several kinds of delicacies in the life of a post-graduate wading through a new and unfamiliar city. One rare form of delicacy occurs when I consciously save half my lunch salad for a soggy dinner because I'm simply that stingy. Nothing screams delicate much more loudly than the Los Angeles drivers honking at my Oklahoma license plate as I realize there won't be a green arrow to prompt my left turn. Sometimes it comes from realizing my own delicacy. Like the fragility of my small fingers when I try to use a completely undersized and broken screwdriver to assemble furniture. But it can also be the discovery that I have a complete lack of delicacy--the endless drops of sweat that run down my face as I grunt at said screwdriver as if he's my disobedient child.
Perhaps a more denotative form of delicacy is the complete rejuvenation my body feels as I lay in Shavasana at the end of a steamy & invigorating yoga class. There is most definitely some delicate love put into my favorite cold press coffee at the cafe down the street. And then there's the moment my heart swells with delicate contentment as I look around at the apartment my brother and I have built together. A new home. A new chapter. A delicate time, yes. But an adventurous time full of opportunity just aching to be seized. Double yes.
So as I spend 75% of each day staring at my laptop screen and clicking "Apply" for every possible job or audition posting, I find myself floating in a lazy river of varied emotion. Worry about my qualifications, or lack thereof. Boredom. A sense of humor about the faux to-do lists I'm making. Curiosity about how to meet people and "build new roots." A tiny hint of regret that I grew up so fast.
How do I seize the opportunity?!
These stages in life are total taboo. But WHY? Let's talk about it. There are millions of twenty-somethings (or any age, for that matter) going through the same self-evaluation periods. Let us not flatter ourselves by thinking we're the first and only to ever feel discomfort. We so often forget that discomfort leads to growth.
I'm not writing this post to ruminate on the difficulty of entering adulthood--I think we all understand that quite clearly and this past week in a brand new place has been exactly as I anticipated. I am instead writing this post to A) occupy some of my free time but mostly to B) reflect on how important it is to embrace times in life that may have a different pace than we've previously experienced.
This slower stage in my life is happening for a reason. For the first time, maybe ever, I can go through a day without a single obligation--someday soon I will long for that. My advice to myself, and to anyone else feeling similarly, is to take each new rhythm life throws at us as an opportunity to grow. I'm turning inward a bit. Asking myself what I need. Treating my body and my mind with love and care. It is essential to our well-being and our self-discovery that we take down time and transitions as rare occasions to be {appropriately} selfish.
This time is a complete delicacy and I'm eating it slowly and methodically as I would the most high-quality caviar. I encourage you to do the same whenever given the chance!
xoxo
RMD
Perhaps a more denotative form of delicacy is the complete rejuvenation my body feels as I lay in Shavasana at the end of a steamy & invigorating yoga class. There is most definitely some delicate love put into my favorite cold press coffee at the cafe down the street. And then there's the moment my heart swells with delicate contentment as I look around at the apartment my brother and I have built together. A new home. A new chapter. A delicate time, yes. But an adventurous time full of opportunity just aching to be seized. Double yes.
So as I spend 75% of each day staring at my laptop screen and clicking "Apply" for every possible job or audition posting, I find myself floating in a lazy river of varied emotion. Worry about my qualifications, or lack thereof. Boredom. A sense of humor about the faux to-do lists I'm making. Curiosity about how to meet people and "build new roots." A tiny hint of regret that I grew up so fast.
How do I seize the opportunity?!
These stages in life are total taboo. But WHY? Let's talk about it. There are millions of twenty-somethings (or any age, for that matter) going through the same self-evaluation periods. Let us not flatter ourselves by thinking we're the first and only to ever feel discomfort. We so often forget that discomfort leads to growth.
I'm not writing this post to ruminate on the difficulty of entering adulthood--I think we all understand that quite clearly and this past week in a brand new place has been exactly as I anticipated. I am instead writing this post to A) occupy some of my free time but mostly to B) reflect on how important it is to embrace times in life that may have a different pace than we've previously experienced.
This slower stage in my life is happening for a reason. For the first time, maybe ever, I can go through a day without a single obligation--someday soon I will long for that. My advice to myself, and to anyone else feeling similarly, is to take each new rhythm life throws at us as an opportunity to grow. I'm turning inward a bit. Asking myself what I need. Treating my body and my mind with love and care. It is essential to our well-being and our self-discovery that we take down time and transitions as rare occasions to be {appropriately} selfish.
This time is a complete delicacy and I'm eating it slowly and methodically as I would the most high-quality caviar. I encourage you to do the same whenever given the chance!
xoxo
RMD