thirty

It feels tempting on birthdays, especially at the edge of a decade, to reminisce on achievements. All the big moments. Artistic achievements, professional milestones, countries visited. Quantification. But today I feel grateful for the small moments. Particularly ones where I felt connected to the person in front of me, or the land under my feet. There’s no easy and clean way to bring these memories back, because truthfully they are mostly forgotten (there were millions of them, after all). But those moments are what became my twenties, and it’s safe to say they will be thirties and my forties and so on. That’s all for now. I’m going to see some people that I love.

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn. We met in the first class of college. Communications 101 with Karen Cristiano. 11 years ago. A few weeks later I complimented you on your music taste. A few years later, as we were about to graduate, you invited me to go shoot photos around Philly. Then that spring we drove out of town to an abandoned school where they sent girls who “misbehaved.” That place was so scary. Then we graduated, I moved to Alaska, you stayed in Philly, then grad school in DC. Then one day in 2020, weeks after being stuck in Baltimore during the pandemic, you reached out. We were both in dark places. We Facetimed and realized we were living 40 miles apart. We decided to hike together. Then another one. And another. Finally, someone other than my parents to hang out with during those uncertain times. I usually brought the snacks, you’d bring the joints, and we’d explore the DMV area. Whether it was sharing our stories, or shouting “SNACK TIME” out onto the Potomac River, those days were very special to me, as it felt like the world wasn’t falling apart. Later that summer you came up to Alaska and you got to experience everything that words would fall short explaining. Hiking, cooking, macarons, free salads, a deep trip, camping, you sleeping in the back of a pick up truck, art nights, and good company. Many cherished moments. Happy Birthday, Kaitlyn.