Welcome to Midweek Musings, where I take the random, chaotic, and occasionally profound thoughts from my journal and throw them into the void (aka your inbox). Think of it as a peek inside my brain — except I’ve filtered out the truly unhinged stuff (you’re welcome).
Some musings will be deep, some will be ridiculous, and some will make you wonder if I should get more sleep. Either way, I felt like they needed to be shared, and now they’re your problem too. Enjoy!
Last week’s edition:
I only take my headphones off when the Uber driver is a Black woman. I feel like the conversation is always more worth my time and energy; I always end up laughing and having a great time, like we know each other from back in the day. We become friends for the duration of the ride. The other day, Kelley and I spent 35 minutes in her Tesla together. She got lost a few times because she was so immersed in our conversation, but not once did I feel unsafe. I trusted her to get me home. We are both Leos, but my birthday is in August and hers is in July. She has kids, but I forget how many. She does hair and I wish I’d gotten her number for the boho braids I want for EDC. When I got out of the car, she said she hoped to see me again. I said I do too. I think we both meant it.
One time a few months ago, an older Black woman picked me up from work. Her car smelled like anointing oil. She asked me what I did for work and if I liked my job. I told her I wasn’t sure. I loved my coworkers but I felt like I had Stockholm syndrome when it came to the owners and management. She told me I was too young to be crying at work; fourteen bucks an hour isn’t an equal trade of my sanity. I think about her sometimes, now that I’m at a new place. I think she’d be proud of me.
Once, last June, I had a driver named Deborah. She worked an UNLV sometimes but enjoyed working for herself more. Her jobs were contract, so she was able to have a healthy balance of both. I told her I want to relearn how to roller skate, but I’m scared of embarrassing myself in front of other people. She told me I’d never learn if I was always scared, but also gave me recommendations for parks that are typically not crowded. I went to one, once, and she was right. I was the only person on the entire expanse of land. I haven’t taken up roller skating again yet, but I know I’ll think of her when I do.
