There's something so romantic about Jupiter's moons. Like, there's so much mystery about something so far away, and is there anything on Jupiter that looks up at its moon and what does it think when it sees it? Tonight, biking back from a surprise meeting with Steph - a friend so intertwined in my life in New Orleans that I forget we ever went to college together - I saw Earth's own moon from in between the buildings. We are so casual about the fact that our own planet is worthy of a moon - we are big enough to warrant the gravitational pull to keep some space debris in our orbit for us to marvel at every cycle, there is an entity orbiting close enough to determine our tides and sightings of mythical creatures - like nature's liturgy. Do I put too much pressure on myself to marvel at something so regular? What did I think about the moon the first time I recognized what it was when I was younger, this far away space thing humans have only been to a few times and that we will never ever see half of? I wonder if I ever marveled at it or if I always took it for granted.
I watched Peanut Butter Falcon this weekend. It was that type of movie that I kept ruminating on for days afterwards - every entertainment "input" I fed myself afterwards felt like the dullest hum in comparison. I still can't even listen to my favorite podcasts - the taste of Peanut Butter Falcon is still so sweet inside my head, I'm still thinking through the questions it encouraged me to ask and parsing through the feelings it stirred. At the end, the "family" crossed over the border to Florida, debts absolved and good guys on the run. There is something so romantic, too, about the flight to Florida - 3 misfits who don't fit society's mold rejecting society itself for the sake of goodness. I wondered what resonated with me about that scene. What about it made me think the way I'm currently living my life was so purposeless and bland? Their commitment to doing "good" regardless of what society thinks is definitely a kicker. Their redefinition of "good" and "bad" was delightful. But I think their decision to forsake all their responsibilities in the pursuit of honor and dignity - wow. If I could be so lucky! But after the credits rolled and I ruminated and ruminated and ruminated, I wondered what happened after they got to Florida. Like, if we fast forward 6 months, what does their life look like? Because eventually Tyler and the woman are going to fight in their relationship or maybe even break up, eventually they are going to get burnt out on teaching Zak wrestling, eventually they need health insurance. When I lived in New Orleans I felt like I lived for every moment. It was romantic and magical. And now, that thrill is gone and my life is, honestly, dull. But I have a house that I own and make adorable, I have the cutest dog, I have a boyfriend and a circle of friends from around the country that keep my smiling and growing. And now I wonder, what is romance anyway?
