Life.

To write about life. That was the prompt—incredibly daunting. Millie searched her thoughts for something, anything, to pop. She had moved to a new city almost two years ago. This city was, by definition, everything she wanted in a place to live. Her life felt more balanced and restful. There was diversity, culture, mountains, and beaches nearby; she had a steady job that came with decent healthcare and a salary. And yet, it felt like something was missing. She left a city that required your whole sense of self to survive. It was hard in all aspects. Exhaustion was normal as was eating two meals and walking 8 miles every day. There was great sacrifice to live in the city that never sleeps. It was as mesmerizing as it was crushing and both seemed to weigh more than her own body. Creativity and beauty outnumbered people taking the subway during rush hours. She worked odd jobs, part-time jobs, and babysat whenever the opportunities came. The hustle was alive and dug her claws into Millie’s routine, if you could call it that. The rhythms adopted were that each week would look different. Bills were miraculously paid and the jobs always came. Over six years in the city, she lived in five different apartments with 14 different people. Six years. That’s all it was for this almost 40-year-old. The years before and after held different cities, more homes, tons of roommates, friends, and wildly vivid experiences. None greater or less beautiful than the other. So how do you write about life?

She looked out the window as misty rain poured down from a gray sky. It’s easy to get stuck in the drabness, the lack of success, or comparing life to others. Why is that the normal setting? Millie wondered what humanity would be like if the default was the perspective of ‘haves’ instead of the ‘have-nots.’

How do I reset my default? Is that even possible? The desire for contentment is strong. And yet, it seems to require a daily intention with as much focus as possible; much like committing to New York City. To write about life? But where does one start—with joy? Or grieving? With successes or failures? Relationships? Heartbreak? Jobs? Vacations? Celebrations? 

To write about life would need to include all of it. I don’t know how to write about that, Millie thought. It’s too much. Too broad. She decided to come back to it when the rain stopped. ☔️