It’s the summer time, y’all!
I’ve been doing something very unlike me.
I’ve been shutting down Photoshop, closing Illustrator, and turning off my computer. I can’t tell you the last time I had off from work and sat at home, glued to a flat screen monitor making things or sending e-mails. I have a few projects with no deadlines that could use some work, but I know that they’ll get done. Right now, while the skies are clear and the air is warm, there are other adventures to be had.
So far, this is turning out to be an awesome summer. The streets of Philadelphia are sticky with steam, the air sizzles with sun, and I can’t move a block without sweating. I hate sweating, but there’s something glorious about collapsing in bed after a long day of adventures, tired feet, and new suntan lines.
It feels good.
Yesterday, I returned from a five day stint in a neighboring state where I visited my significant other. I forgot my laptop cord at home and was forced to keep my computer off. I had an abundance of free time and I used it foolishly: I booed up, ate delicious meals, drank cups of coffee and sat on benches in the local park. We went for walks holding hands, did laundry late at night, slept in when we could, stayed up way too late, and sometimes watched TV. We cooked breakfast for dinner. We hung out on the deck at night and smoked cigarettes, long curls of grey that filtered through his skinny brown fingers, lit ambers that faded into the ground below. We stopped and saw the sky; a starry night unlike the ones in Philadelphia, a sea of twinkles and glitter, far away.
We even started a new project, one that excites me, but we never let our work get in the way of our play.
Get out. The e-mail will still be there when you return. Get out. Finish that flyer later or share some of the work food on your plate and get out. Go out and look at the night time sky, feel the sun on your skin, and let blades of grass kiss your toes and ankles. Sweat some. Kiss the face(s) of the one(s) you love. Hold hands. Laugh. Break breadsticks at Olive Garden, drink your favorite drink on a patio or someone’s stoop, and spend time with friends. Make new friends. Ride the train or a bike, visit a favorite store, or just put away that project and start a new one: the act of getting out.
Here’s to living the life you’ve always dreamed of with the people who help make these dreams come true.
Tell me your thoughts!