Postdated April 6, 2010
My name is Taylor. I'm 24 years old, going to grad school in Philadelphia. I have a loving family, a lot of amazing friends, a bright future and a good head start. I write short stories, drink a lot of tea, and sing on Tuesday nights. I have a reputation for fucking with people, but I'll always tell you I'm just kidding. I speak Japanese. I throw a decent party. I'm pretty happy with who I turned out to be. My life isn't hard. It's not unique. It's just a little off key, like so many a karaoke singer, and that's just how I like it.
Yesterday, I was robbed blind. At least of every material thing that mattered. The purse and its contents I can live without, sure, but the laptop that held all my art and writing and photos and music and memories, 24 years' worth (and no backups) that's gone, probably forever. And so begins my quest to put it all back together.
Strangely, losing all that has given me a sense of complete freedom. I don't have to worry about where my wallet is, because I don't have one. All I have to worry about is where I am at this exact moment in time. Jude says I should start contacting old friends, ask for copies of old pictures and things they might have. Maybe they'll have some I've never seen, and there will be newness to those old memories. Maybe I'll be able to reconnect with them. And maybe he's right, and maybe I'll do some of that. I'll write some letters, I'll call, I'll visit. But what I really, really think I should do, and will do, come to that, is to start making new ones. Bigger ones. Do things I never dared to. Travel the world. Meet complete strangers. Eat bizarre delicacies. Hear the music of places I never even knew existed. Breathe unfamiliar air. Jump off bridges. And this time, I'm keeping track of everything.
So today, I say to myself, and anyone who wants to meet me, hello, and welcome to my brand new life.
My name is Taylor. I'm 24 years old, going to grad school in Philadelphia. I have a loving family, a lot of amazing friends, a bright future and a good head start. I write short stories, drink a lot of tea, and sing on Tuesday nights. I have a reputation for fucking with people, but I'll always tell you I'm just kidding. I speak Japanese. I throw a decent party. I'm pretty happy with who I turned out to be. My life isn't hard. It's not unique. It's just a little off key, like so many a karaoke singer, and that's just how I like it.
Yesterday, I was robbed blind. At least of every material thing that mattered. The purse and its contents I can live without, sure, but the laptop that held all my art and writing and photos and music and memories, 24 years' worth (and no backups) that's gone, probably forever. And so begins my quest to put it all back together.
Strangely, losing all that has given me a sense of complete freedom. I don't have to worry about where my wallet is, because I don't have one. All I have to worry about is where I am at this exact moment in time. Jude says I should start contacting old friends, ask for copies of old pictures and things they might have. Maybe they'll have some I've never seen, and there will be newness to those old memories. Maybe I'll be able to reconnect with them. And maybe he's right, and maybe I'll do some of that. I'll write some letters, I'll call, I'll visit. But what I really, really think I should do, and will do, come to that, is to start making new ones. Bigger ones. Do things I never dared to. Travel the world. Meet complete strangers. Eat bizarre delicacies. Hear the music of places I never even knew existed. Breathe unfamiliar air. Jump off bridges. And this time, I'm keeping track of everything.
So today, I say to myself, and anyone who wants to meet me, hello, and welcome to my brand new life.
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