Dear six months after graduation,

I began this post a while ago with the intention of posting it on the date exactly six months after graduation, but as the day drew closer I felt pretty and didn't feel like it was worth reflecting on the last six months. But, I'm feeling a little better now and I am determined to find the things that have developed in the last six months, good an bad, to tak stock of what has felt like much of the same that I didn't know before. Does that make sense? Nothing is really all tr surprising, or necessarily stands out, but that doesn't mean that there's not things to mark.

It has been six months since graduation. What have I done with those six months of being a "real adult"? Let's see

I listened to a lot of The Head and the Heart. Mostly "Rivers and Roads. Sometimes accompanied by tears.

I have moved twice.

I significantly improved my dental hygiene. I am now a regular flosser.

I found a way to arrange all the same artwork (read: magazine cut outs and postcards) that has decorated my walls for the last few years that feels a little more mature.

I have memorized hundreds of students' names.

I've gotten more comfortable speaking on the phone with people I don't know.

I've had a couple Oscar worthy crying moments.

I have kept in touch with friends.

I have not kept in touch with friends.

I've had a couple of surprising bills.

I have not spent enough time outside.

I have read a ton.

I've lost some of my collegiate vocabulary. My sentences aren't constructed quite as well as they used to be.

I discovered I don't like meetings.

I like dressing up for work.

I've developed the necessary "bitch face" for riding the bus.

I've had some unhealthy eating habits.

I've celebrated the full moon.

I've set more goals that I probably have, ever.

I speak in a probably annoying manner to college seniors to the inevitable mess they will soon become.

I've thought a lot about the place of place in my life.

I was offered a legit kitten.

I turned down the kitten.

I've learned to maintain a fairly regular sleep cycle.

I've journaled, both purposely and half-heartedly.

I've not really considered online dating.

I hope to transition away from bed centered lounging, reminiscent of dorm life, and into couch centered lounging.

I haven't seen a lot of movies.

I believe that the decisions I made have been the right decisions for me.

I don't like short stories. They are an excuse to pack as much melancholy into as little pages as possible. And no, some English major at work is not going to convince me otherwise.

I watched Girls. That was a confusing experience.

I've begun to see people around me get engaged.

I've introduced Gossip Girl into the lives of several room mates.

I've felt really lucky.

I've felt really lonely.

I biked, but I don't really feel like a biker.

I've broken or lost some of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

I used some excellent pens and was gifted a Wishbone pencil.

I looked good.

I talked shit about people.

I saw some great theatre for very little money.

I haven't missed being a part of theatre as much as I thought I would.

I've found myself as the only Jew in more and more situations.

I've heard the echoes of my mother's voice in my own.

I had contemplated the value and meaning and complications of service.

I've been awkward.

I've brought people together.

I went out for beer.

I went inside a Summit avenue house.

I've wondered about how you make friends outside of the context of school.

I've gone back and forth about the value of cars many many times.

I've made people laugh.

I am now a reference for people.

I've delved into more and more Jane Austen.

I'm doing alright.

I've, unsurprisingly, watched a lot of tv.

I'm trying to not use the fact that I know this year will probably suck as an excuse to let it suck. But I know that things are going to get better, that some of these things are just a matter of time. Things will settle and sort themselves out and we must ride out the transitional time. I know this year is hard. So, here's hoping the next six months lead you in that direction.

love,
hannah