ZACDAQ

Here in New York, we are all going through that uneasy period when you don’t know what exactly to wear. We are transitioning from summer to fall clothing. Anyone who does not know the perils of pulling items of clothing to wear the night before— or even the morning of, when it has suddenly become quite chilly— might not understand.

Today, I bit the bullet and grabbed a long-sleeved button-down shirt. I put it on and pranced around the apartment for a bit to make sure it was the right choice for the day. I felt like Edward Scissorhands in my movements, and felt like I could not breathe or move in a way that was easy like summer.

This may all seem like a trivial problem. But it is a problem that I have faced every fall since moving to New York seven and a half years ago. It’s not easy for me to go from shorts, t-shirts, and sandals to a neck-to-toe wrapping. Maybe I am alone in this battle.

For now, I’m just going to pray that my new ankle boots stop making the back of my feet bleed and that I can take less than an hour to decide what cold weather outfit will make me the happiest. I’m all about the dress-and-dash.

My Grandpa Ed recently passed away. He was such an inspiration to me, in many ways. He was an incredible singer/dancer and had the best sense of humor. But, most of all, he was a gentleman. The kind of man that you don’t really see many of these days.

My friend and I were chatting last night about how hard it is at times to be kind. Sometimes, it seems as though people are so defensive that there is not even enough space for goodness to penetrate. My goal, when backed into these sorts of corners, is to walk away with grace. Taking the high road is always the best choice— even when all you want to do is scream and punch someone in the face.

Karma has also been on my mind a lot. I have a big desire to boost my own and I’ve recently taken extra steps to try to do good things for people. I do believe that if we all strive to do so, we can make this world a better place. A gentleman’s world.

Work has been a bit chaotic lately and, sometimes, I just need something funny to happen to turn my frown upside down. One of my favorite emotions has always been laughter through tears.

Picture it: I was on the phone putting out yet another fire. I decided to multi-task, so that I had a small chance of leaving after my 11th hour of being on the clock (and my 3rd hour of being frustrated that I did not get to leave after hour 8). It was a loooong day.

I needed to grab two band-aids from our First Aid Kit which was inside a box on top of a large, metal shelf, in the back of our office. With the phone wedged between my face and my shoulder, gabbing away and trying to calm a frantic staff member, I stood on my tiptoes and reached up to grab it.

Next thing I know, I am knocked hard on the side of my head. I somehow caught the phone —Lord knows I wouldn’t dare to LITERALLY drop a phone call at work! I blinked a few times and told the lady to hold for a second and I placed the cordless phone on hold. Looking down, I see the First Aid Kit and all of its contents spread across the floor.

How ironic is it that the thing that caused me to have a welt on the side of my forehead is the office’s First Aid Kit? I went directly to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen veggies and couldn’t help but just LOL. It would be the thing that is meant to mend our wounds that would almost knock me unconscious.

Laughter. It’s my ultimate weapon. Screw a First Aid Kit. I have my own kit secure inside of me. I decided to go home sans band-aids.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that summer is gone and I look down and see black boots instead of flip-flops on my sparkly, pedicured feet. Busy is an understatement of what my summer was; I only wish I could put my feet in the water one more time before the trees all turn non-green.

I wrote a little something in regards to this sentiment and I think I might just have to be in nature again and make up for lost time.

On the Beach

With suntans
And rainbows
And a unicorn-flowered beach

How could we
For even one second
Not hold it in our hands?

Your eyes said,
“Take a second, Love!
See all
there is to see.”

And then we sat
With suntans and rainbows
And a unicorn-flowered beach

Just there
For a moment
I swear I might’ve dreamed

That you and I —
Under a sparkle-filled sky —
Were side by side
On the beach

                         

After asking one of my besties, Liz, if I should start a blog, she said, “Yes, ABSOLUTELY!”

One day later, I am all set up with what feels like a new beginning. I have missed writing and creating. I was surprised to get the name ZACDAQ (as in “Zachary Daiquiri”—there are a couple bartenders in Brooklyn who know how to mix one just right) and subsequently changed my Instagram and Gmail names right away, out of excitement for short handles.

Not exactly sure where this road will lead, but I am happy to be on it.