Like much of the country, we’re in a cold spell, but it’s worse in Portland, I swear. Not just because I live here. What? It snowed in Michigan?
Anyways, I’ve spent the last couple months hating Portland’s constant and mind-numbing rain. I bike commute, and it’s been getting real old, real fast. Couple that with getting out of shape over the rainy season, and it’s been a dreary couple of months.
Sidenote: some optimistic people will tell me, “Living in the rain for six months will make you appreciate the sun WAY more!” Whenever I hear that, my first thought is, “Fuck that. I’m moving to San Diego and living on the beach like Jack Johnson. I’ll learn to play the guitar and surf all day.”
This of course, would never happen. My head would explode if I spent more than two weeks doing something “not productive.”
All that to say, today was probably the first real summer-like day we’ve had since we’ve been here, and it was amazing. It felt like I was in a whole different world. A part of it was definitely being cured of the seasonal depression, but I loved the energy of Portlanders as the season turns to summer. The contagious good mood was like herpes on a small secluded college campus. Or wildfire. Let’s stick with wildfire.
Pretty much everything that could have been good about the day was even better. A cancelled AM meeting left me time to take a peaceful morning bike ride through town and read by the sunlight. I rocked my dog shorts and flip-flops all day. I had a great morning at church catching up with some friends. Then, I went for a picnic with some friends, played some ultimate frisbee and bocce ball. It will be unmentioned that I went 0-4 in the games. Er. And now, I get a few hours to myself to soak in the awesome weekend.
Thinking back to my post last week on intentionally taking rest, I guess the most crucial part of the Sabbath is something I neglected to touch on. I had myself convinced that rest is a solitary thing. I needed to remove myself from the world of people, plug in the headphones and hit the 24 hour fitness, then sit and write by myself.
But as they say in the hilarious Hugh Grant flick, About a Boy, no man is an island.
One of the striking qualities of post-college life is definitely the loneliness. Taking out a year lease on a studio was maybe not good for my sanity. It’s definitely taught me important things, and given me plenty of time to think about the crap that goes into this blog, but it’s also been lonely. I think after a year of it, I’m definitely ready to find a house to live in, and add some roommates.
I guess, for whatever reason, relationships have to be a part of rest. Maybe it takes experiencing the sun with some friends to fully appreciate it. Maybe it’s like the final secret of Into the Wild:
“Happiness is only real, when shared.”
from ken
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