Nothing Gold Can Stay!🌟
Thoughts on ephemerality.
Happy Wednesday, my Dearest Twenty-Somethings! Today we celebrate the birthday of two of my favorite icons: Dolly Parton and the beloved late Mac Miller. I hope everyone’s doing as well as can be. Can’t believe we’re halfway through January already!
The last two weeks’ newsletters on New Year’s resolutions—especially my lovely chat with my gal Janelle—got me thinking about change, and what we choose to carry with us through the chaotic decade we call our twenties. Let’s chat!
Last week, we discussed what we want to bring into our lives in 2022, and it sparked some inspiration in me. I started thinking about how often us young folk pick things up and let them go, switching hands and changing our minds constantly—and how much freedom that gives us.
As I’ve mentioned, and many of you witnessed, 2021 was a big year for me. I moved neighborhoods and into my own apartment, got my own kitty cat, and started what I think will be a new chapter in my life. While I’m clearly optimistic and hopeful for the future, I can’t help but reflect on the impermanence of our youth. But in a good way! Hear me out.
A few weeks ago, I got a haircut: bangs. I know it’s my look, but still, there’s solace in knowing that hair grows back. That nails grow back. That one day I woke up and the tree outside my window that once severely limited my apartment’s sunlight was gone. That even if I hate the way that I arranged my gallery wall or my bedroom furniture or my kitchen cupboards in my apartment, nothing is permanent. Both the good and the bad, for the most part, are ephemeral. The snow will melt and the grass will grow back, and it’ll do the same thing next year too (hopefully).
Most major things in our lives, as twenty-somethings, are this way too. Jobs and relationships and apartments—while we may not always have the means to change things when we want to, we can find comfort in knowing that everything comes to an end eventually.
For those of us who aren’t sure who we want to be yet, or how to get there, worry not. Tomorrow is a new day! Take your sweet time. You’re more than capable of reinventing yourself if that’s what you want to do. You are not stuck! Change the things that make you unhappy! Cultivate your truest, most beautiful life! And shoot your shot already!
The things we love and hate most won’t last. And to me, that’s kind of a relief—obviously for the bad things, but I’m learning, for the good things too. Our loved ones, our honeymoon phases, our perfect hair days, our great vacations. Maybe this realization will help me (and us!) to live in the present moment, and be gracious for the things we have in the now. I do hope I look back on this when we’re finally out of this pandemic and smile.
My point is this: Time stops for no one. And after all, time heals all wounds. And ultimately, nothing is more important than today!
Alright, that feels like enough from me for this week. Consider this another stream-of-consciousness newsletter, like the one on seasons or the one on leaving your hometown. Let me know your feedback here if you feel so inclined!
In case you were wondering, I’ve been listening to Mac Miller’s “The Divine Feminine” and FKA twigs’ new mixtape, “CAPRISONGS.” With that, here are a few picks to get you through the week:
LISTEN:
WATCH:
Showtime’s Yellowjackets - Wowza! This thrilling drama straddles two different storylines: one in 1996 when a girl’s soccer team’s plane crashes into the remote wilderness in British Columbia, and the other being present day, where the remaining women continue to grapple with what they’ve done. A masterpiece!
The Eyes of Tammy Faye - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love this movie! It’s got everything a zennial needs: ‘80s fashion, millions of fraudulent dollars hidden behind God, eyelashes and glitter, and Middle American style. It’s now streaming on HBO Max and Hulu, so you’ve got no excuse!
HBO’s Search Party - Alas… If you’ve been paying attention, you know this is my favorite show of all time. The fifth season is out now and, well… I’m not one to yuck anyone else’s yum. But the first four seasons are life-changing!
LAUGH:
FOLLOW:
Hues by MLE - This artist carries their Pantone book with them wherever they go, and shares snaps of bright, contrasting colors next to where they occur in nature and life. Beyond aesthetically pleasing!
Something Curated - Somewhat of a mishmash of trippy Photoshopped images, incredible art and architecture, and vintage photos. One of my fave accounts to follow!
Vintage Fantasy - I live for art, mantras and feminist quotes, as we know—enjoy!
CONSIDER:
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Affirmation of the week: Do what ought to be done.
Question of the week: What brings you the greatest sense of peace?
Thank you all for reading this week’s newsletter! I’m always looking to improve my work, so leave a comment, send me a message, or fill out this form to tell me what you want to read about in upcoming Dear Twenty-Somethings! Also, if you know anyone who might be a good interviewee for the newsletter, let me know in the form. I’m all ears. Thank you always!
Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads or online if you feel so inclined. And check out last week’s newsletter here in case you missed it!
If you liked what you read, send this newsletter to a friend! Heck, send it to 10 friends! Sending love and light to you, wherever you are. 🌟
Cheers & happy Wednesday! Stay well and I’ll talk to you next week.
xoxoxo, Quinnie <3
Absolutely loved this weeks newsletter! Super excited for what’s to come!