I’ve been kinda down, lately. In case some of you haven’t noticed. Adulthood kinda sucks, and despite my best efforts, it feels like I’ve gone nowhere in life. There’s this great scene in the Recess movie where Principal Prickley is talking with TJ and he makes a point that he remembers summer vacation, and all the memories he made when he was younger. As an adult, in a dead-end job, those memories are all he has left. When I saw that movie when I was younger, it didn’t hit me. Now, at 35, with no real prospects for a better future, no potential for home ownership, and no real hope that things are ever going to get better, memories of the days when life didn’t suck this much, before I busted my skull open at 14, are very comforting.
However, I got to thinking – let’s not fantasize about being back in the past, but instead look forward, toward the idealize world where I actually had some form of good luck before today and things aren’t shit at 35. Let’s imagine, for a moment, that I live in the dream home that I have spoken of (linked here). Let’s talk about what a typical day is in the life of me in that dream home. The life of me, my fiancee (though in that reality we had enough money to actually have a wedding and get married), and our kitties. Let’s take a look at that. Let’s see what my favorite day would actually look like, in a world where I have a place I can call my own and the Sword of Damocles that is money doesn’t hang over my head.
For starters, I wake up at 0730 to 0800. That’s a good time to wake up. I’m tired earlier and earlier, and I accept that that is part of getting older. My old man goes to bed at 2100 and wakes up at 0500, so I know what my fate is to be, one day. Honestly, it isn’t so bad. Early enough to appreciate the dawn hours. To sit outside on my patio and take in the sounds of the world waking up. When it is winter in the Pacific Northwest, to enjoy the morning darkness.
After eating a small breakfast of a honeycrisp apple or some Oat Crunch Cheerios (that shit is so good!) with oat milk, I take a nice walk and enjoy the crisp morning air. For the summer months, where everything is hot as fuck, these are the hours to enjoy. To make the most of the coolness, before the heat comes back. In the winter, it is a time to get the crisp air. Enjoy the few days when it is snowy. Snow here in Washington is great. It shows up for a few days or a week or two, then fucks off. It’s great.
Getting back home, I decide that I’m going to do some chores around the house. Just a few things to spruce the place up. My fiancee stops is waking up by this point, going to where command center, waking up with some YouTube. And a couple of kitties following her around. They are so sweet, but are both mama’s cats. Then I go into the our little library and decide to catch up on some of my artbooks. Maybe a little of the Calvin and Hobbes complete collection, that I have. Or one of my favorite novels. Just for an hour or two, to keep my eyesight sharp and fuel my imagination. Maybe type on my own novel? Ideas, ideas.
It’s the middle of the day, and I bake. I love to bake! No joke, I really do. My biggest hatred of my situation now is that I don’t have space enough to really enjoy baking. My kitchen is so small. Everything is so small. Life is so horrifically unfair. What am I baking? Don’t know. Cookies sounds like fun. I have ideas for next year’s Christmas in March cookies, and I wouldn’t mind seeing if they match up with what I am hoping for. Little things, right? Though, part of me likes being pleasantly surprised, too. So maybe not. Maybe bagels! Ooo, bagels sound really good. My fiancee wants me to make zucchini bread for her birthday. She loves the taste of banana bread, but is allergic to bananas. Zucchini bread is essentially the same thing, and it tastes just as good. Lots of ideas. At my counter, sitting on one of the tall chairs, rolling out cookies and putting them on baking sheets that are covered with silicon baking mats.
After that’s done, or while it’s cooking, I might read more of my books. A book while I sit there, waiting for the cookies to finish baking. Sounds wonderful. But what about after that? Well, I have a couple of options. First, I could see what my fiancee is doing. She is likely in her solarium, taking in the warmth of the sun, working on an art project, or reading a book as well. Or she is upstairs in the office, typing to her Discord peeps or running a game for them as GM. I could also play some vidya. Always a good time. Playing vidya on a gentle afternoon. That sounds pretty nice. Or play with our kitties. I work to keep them active, not just for the physical, but also for their mental health.
For dinner, I make stir fry for me and mine. There’s some shrimp that I have been marinading in my fridge overnight, mixed with Yoshida sweet and savory sauce, some Mongolian fire oil, garlic, sweet chili sauce, and sesame oil. I fry up some onions, carrots, and broccoli, then put in the shrimp and the marinade, and after all that is done cooking, add some yakisoba noodles. The taste is spectacular. I promise, it’s like nothing you have tasted before. Been making that every weekend for the last month or so. It’s good to make fresh food, and to have more vitamins in my diet. I chop up my veggies, because it is WAY cheaper than getting pre-cut ones. For real, it isn’t hard. Just have a good knife and it takes no time at all.
During dinner, we watch something funny. We both LOVE the movie Airplane! It’s a classic comedy that couldn’t be made today, but it is wonderful. I put that on the other night when my fiancee was having a bad day and she was immediately better. I know what makes a tiny lady smile.
What about desert? Well, my fiancee doesn’t much care for it. She doesn’t have a very big sweet tooth. So for me, some of the cookies I made that day. A dear friend of ours and her girlfriend stop over, and maybe we play some games or just shoot the shit in the conversation pit outside over making smores in the fire pit. It is the perfect end to a perfect day.
It ends with me getting ready for bed, then curling up to sleep with my gal and our two kitties. They know that both of us move around a lot, so maybe they will sleep in the kitty tower, but eventually they will make their way inside. It’s funny – my gal and I both have a sleeping side that is opposite the other. I prefer to sleep facing my left, and she prefers sleeping facing her right. If you saw us in bed, you’d wonder if we’re fighting. But I promise, we’re not. We just ended up having a side of the bed we prefer and then sleeping positions that work for us that is ironic. We have a laugh about it, sometimes.
And that’s my dream day. A perfect day that I don’t have to worry about the little things in life. Money will work itself out. It’s a weekend, so no office stuff. Just a nice day where I get to really savor the life I have and how blessed I am. It isn’t much, but it makes me happy. I don’t want the world. I really don’t. All I want is to have a peaceful life, in a quiet place, and be able to enjoy it to the fullest. That doesn’t seem like a big ask, to me.
Until next time, a quote,
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Detweiler – every adult you’ve ever known was a kid at one point in their life. You think that we don’t remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the creek, catching pollywags in a jar, camping out under the stars? Well you’re wrong! Some days I sit in my office and I look out on you kids on the playground, and I think – they don’t know how good they got it. In a few years, they’re all gonna be grown-ups, like me. And all those good times will just be memories for them too.” – Principal Prickley, Recess: School’s Out
Peace out,
Maverick