Do you ever wake up with that feeling? I think the closest word is dread. Wanting the day to be over as it’s beginning. Wishing for the nothing of sleep instead of life’s veritable consciousness. The hours died around me and I finally left my room to shower at noon. I vegetated the next few hours by the light of my phone and decided I didn’t want to feel like this.

I googled things to do and felt alienated from the world. Is this really what people like doing here? Looking at old boats? But within those listings I found an art museum and booked an uber even though they were under two hours from close.

I walked through their beautiful gardens and savored the pieces inside, from historical wartime art, captivating landscapes, ship replicas, gorgeous photography and intricate tiffany glasswork. Every piece was carefully tied into the history of the area and the college the museum was attached to and you could feel the life of the town there. I didn’t leave until the staff told me to, and finally I felt like a person.

I entered the great beyond in a daze of sunlight as the golden hour hit me straight on. The gardens were more vibrant than when I’d last seen them and I felt like a little kid dancing across the lawn and drawn to every outdoor sculpture. The cars of the employees drove away and I thought perhaps it was best to leave then.

But as I was, a gust of wind sent a fluttering of dandelion fluff swirling around me. Each piece glinting in the sunlight like dust in an old library. I couldn’t help but laugh and inhale a few pieces, leaving me sputtering and sneezing into the grass, but all the better for it.

/June 13th, 2023