Adios, Hell Year
Ah yes it’s the end of Hell Year. 2020 is gone and with it, so is a lot of despair lifted through the year: Devil Virus, Destruction of my hometown, Death of my favorite thing to ever exist ever. As an adieu to the fire dumpster that was the past 12 months, I thought a softer newsletter might be nice for anyone who needed it, a poem I wrote my nephews and nieces of advice to carry into the future as time passes. Hope you like it:
Water, For Nephews and Nieces.
Drink more water. Always. If you’re at the office and a bottle of water isn’t sitting on your desk, fix it. If you’re in bed watching TV with no bottle of water readily available, fix it. Go to your local sink and fill that overpriced stainless steel bottle to the brim. Now. Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids. It keeps you young. Spry. Your grandmother just turned 60. I’m sure she drinks four bottles a day.
Your body will age and with it, so will you. You’ll get tired, faster. Your back will hurt all the time and you’ll wonder, where did time go? You’ll become very aware of it the more it passes. As you bond with people much older than you about staying in most weekend nights. As you think about what’s been. As you think about what’s to come. The road ahead is long and well-traveled. Do not be afraid. People who came before will help make sure you’re driving the right way.
Listen to your elders. Ask them questions about what it was like to be your age when they were passing through life. Measure the differences. Do not lock them out from your experiences. They were once in your shoes and know more than you expect. You are not alone in your sadness at 16. You are not alone in your despair at 18. Take advice when you see fit. The war is yours to fight and you are the only thing standing in the way of winning it. Rest your soul when you need to. Your worth is not measured by your productivity.
Take care of people in your life and they will return the favor. Do not treat them as placeholders. They are not beds to lie upon when you grow tired. Relationships are effort. In every sense of the matter. Families, friends, lovers. Treat each with patience. Love is a deliberate action. You must consciously exert effort to reap its benefits. Jump in to the feeling with your entire being. Don’t hold out for people who refuse to carve out a place for you. Distinguish comfort from love. Comfort is complacency.
Meet chaos with kindness. There is too much evil in the world and you can be a driving force in changing that. Cry. Dance. Sing off key at bars and hold your friends’ bodies when they’re too drunk to make it home alone. Enjoy your friends. Some will come, some will go. Only a select few will stick it out for the long run. Communicate. Be forthright with expectations and hesitant with trust. You never know who will end up hurting you until it’s too late.
It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. It’s okay if you never know what you want to do with your life. Some people will get married. Some people will have kids. Maybe now is not your time and that is okay. Maybe never will be your time and that is okay. You can’t rush the future so don’t try to. Don’t compare your life to others’ for fear you are not doing it right. There is no manual for doing it right.
Be true to yourself. Converse with yourself. If you are not content with what you’re getting out of life, reassess. You are your best friend. You wake up every morning to your face and fall asleep every night in your arms. Stretch. Exercise. Be kind to your body. Be kind to your best friend. They rely on you. Do not let them down.
But most importantly, drink water.