Happy Friday everyone! I am (number-wise) officially a year older since we last spoke. Twenty is a big birthday, in my opinion. It’s a very round number and marks entering an age of maturity. So naturally, I celebrated in a very adult manner: by gathering up some of my closest Wellesley friends and going to a trampoline park.
Women who will…take on the trampoline park
That’s right, I spent my birthday (or at least 30 minutes of it) getting out-jumped the boundless energy of five year olds. It was amazing. Walking into the place, I was a little freaked out seeing it overrun with exhausted parents and energizer bunny kids…but everything changed walking onto the trampoline court.The first thirty seconds of jumping on a trampoline in, I don’t know, five years or so is such a freeing feeling that you can’t help but grin hysterically at the rush.
SO BEAUTIFUL
About fifteen minutes into our thirty minute session though, we started slowing down a bit, because trampoline jumping is some serious cardio. All around us, the kids kept jumping without any signs of being tired, even trying flips without fear. We stuck to level 1 gymnastics, namely the trusty pike jump, straddle jump, and that thing were you bounce-sit on the trampoline and then your legs bounce back underneath you. You know, that thing. It was such great stress relief, I genuinely felt lighter when I got off the trampoline, even though my feet had apparently forgotten what gravity felt like and walking felt heavy.
I guess I should mention that we were in Providence, Rhode Island that day. It was only about an hour away, it was a new place we had yet to explore…and the President’s day/birthday lineup was too good not to take advantage of. We spent the rest of the day exploring Providence, featuring a delightful personal pizza lunch and mulling over the indie bookstores we always seem to find ourselves in at these kind of adventures. It was genuinely such an amazing birthday, and I kept thinking about how ten years ago, I would have never guessed that I would be celebrating my 20th birthday at a trampoline park surrounded by wonderful smart Wellesley friends. It’s a thought that makes me grateful for my present, and excited for the future.
Me featuring bae
Actually looking at a children’s book about Schubert’s life
I could go into the slap in the face of work that hit right after, and the Orgo midterm I took today, but I’ll leave that for next week, because sometimes it’s nice to have thirty minutes where you don’t have to think about free radical halogenation or neoliberalism or enzyme kinetics, and can just jump on a trampoline instead.
Ever lovely yours,
Eleanor