One warm evening, somewhere on the surface of the Mississippi River, there once lived a Mayfly named June. He wasn’t actually a Mayfly — not yet at least. He was a dun, the Mayfly word for teenager. Over the last few months, June, just like 18 trillion of his cousins, had spent his entire childhood underwater. His journey began inside of an egg at the bottom of the river; he then hatched into a baby nymph and swam among the rocks for several weeks; and now, on this warm evening, he rested atop the river’s surface, waiting for his new wings to dry. June was on the brink of a very special day — for tomorrow he would shed his skin and finally get to experience what he’d been waiting for all his life: his one and only day of adulthood. Or more so, as he liked to put it, the opportunity to pursue his greatest dreams.

 

June was so excited to become an adult that he could hardly sleep. One single day to experience everything he’s ever wanted?! He knew exactly how he was going to spend it! First, he’d lie on the warmest rock in the riverbank and soak up the sun. Then, he’d have a nice, long nap in the forest’s tallest tree. And then for the grand finale, he’d make his way South to a mysterious faraway land that he’d once overheard a pair of Eagles talking about — the magical kingdom of New Orleans. As the moon lit the sky, June took a deep breath in and imagined everything he would get to experience in adulthood. Crowded streets! Fluffy beignets! Jazz music! He’d finally be living his dreams! He closed his eyes and nodded off, falling asleep to the sound of the saxophone dancing through his head, hardly even noticing that his exoskeleton was falling away around him… Until suddenly…

 

His eyes flung open. He took in the shock of a bright, crisp light. His skin felt entirely new. “It’s morning!” he shouted, beaming high into the air. “I’m an adult!” He did loopdy-loops in the sky, bumping into a few of his cousins along the way, before looking over at the sun. 9 o’clock. He had to get going if he was going to make the most of his life! Without consulting anyone or anything, he dashed in the direction of his dreams.

 

He landed a few meters down the river. “This is it,” he exhaled with a smile. “The warmest rock on the bank.” He began to soak up the sun.

 

But as soon as he settled in, he realized he wasn’t the first to have this idea. Not even close. Thousands of his cousins were swarming here, too! Much to his surprise, their presence kept him company. As he laid upon the rock, he heard friends chattering around him, talking of their plans for the day — floating, grooming, buzzing — when suddenly he felt another Mayfly nudge him on the tail.

 

“How are you?” they asked kindly.

 

“Me?” June turned to find an unfamiliar face. “I’m good,” he said to the stranger reluctantly. He aimed to keep this interaction brief — he had dreams to tend to! But after a moment, he decided to open up just this once. Life is short, after all. “How are you?”

 

“I’m splendid,” the other Mayfly replied. “My name’s August.”

 

August spent the next few hours making June laugh so hard that he even peed once or twice. Even though they just met, June felt like he could talk to August about anything. He shared with August all of his favorite and most scary childhood memories and even detailed his plans to pursue his greatest dreams. He enjoyed getting to know August so much that he completely lost track of time — until he didn’t.

 

“Oh no!” June said in a panic. He looked to the sun. 3 o’clock. “Oh, no no no no no!”

 

What’s the matter?” asked August, confused.

 

“I have to go live my dreams!” June shouted, zipping up high in the air.

 

“Wasn’t this your dream?” August questioned.

 

“This was only one of my dreams! There’s more that I must do! It was nice meeting you, August!” June said from a distance. “I hope we’ll meet again in our next life!”

 

Before August could even get a word in, June flew away.

 

And there he was, soaring high above the trees. Looking down at the world beneath him, feeling excited about the next adventure life would bring him, when suddenly — he spotted it. The tallest tree in the forest. He locked in on his target and dove in its direction.

 

When he arrived, nothing could get him down. He felt proud of himself for his willingness to name his dreams and his courage to go out and pursue them. He found a branch on the tree that felt cozy and comfortable and settled in for a nice, long afternoon nap. He closed his eyes and cleared his head, but it wasn’t a moment until he heard a not-so-distant, “WHO!” He opened his eyes immediately.

 

“WHO!” There it was again.

 

“WHO!”

 

He looked in every direction but couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from. It wasn’t to his left. It wasn’t to his right. With great trepidation, he tilted his gaze up ever so slowly, afraid of what he might find… until he was looking the source of the sound right in the eye…

 

“WHO ARE YOU!”

 

June jumped out of his skin like he didn’t just shed it the evening before. It was an owl. A big one.

 

“WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET HERE?” shouted the Owl.

 

“Please don’t eat me!” June shrieked. “I promise I don’t taste very good!” His heart was pounding faster than his wings.

 

“I have no interest in eating you,” the Owl said calmly. “I’m a vegetarian. Regardless — who are you and how did you get here? It’s not often I have guests.”

 

Relieved, June settled back onto the branch. “I’m June the Mayfly,” he said with a curtsy. “This is my one day to live my adult life, and I wanted to spend it following my dreams. One of my dreams is taking a nap on the tallest tree in the forest. So here I am!”

 

“I see,” said the Owl. “And what else do your dreams entail?”

 

“My first dream was sunbathing on the warmest rock in the riverbank! I just came from there. It was swell. I met a friend named August who made me laugh very much. I felt so seen in their presence! Like I’ll never be alone again.”

 

“I see,” said the Owl. “And what else do your dreams entail?”

 

“My final dream is to see New Orleans! To fly South to the streets that I heard the Eagles talk about. To eat beignets and listen to real-life jazz music!”

 

“I see,” said the Owl. “Well you better get going then! New Orleans is a long journey away. It all sounds wonderful, but at this time of day, it will probably be the last thing you ever do!”

 

“It will?” asked June with a panic. He looked to the sun, which was already starting to set. 6 o’clock. He wanted to visit New Orleans more than anything! It was his biggest and greatest dream! But now, something about it felt wrong. Empty. He had a feeling deep inside him that he’d never really felt before.

 

Maybe flying South is not actually how I want to spend my final hours, he thought. Maybe there’s something else that I want more…

 

He looked to the Owl. “Thank you, kind Owl, for your words of wisdom. I know you were put in my path for a reason!” he said, as he eagerly lifted to flight.

 

“I see,” said the Owl. “And what reason is that?”

 

June looked back as he bolted toward the river. “To help me realize my greatest dream of all!”

 

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A few things I’m thankful for:

- My writer retreat friends :)

- Making mistakes that help me learn

- My new Adobe InDesign membership

 

 

Pop culture things I’m thinking about:

- Hacks Season 3 is sooo good

- Just started reading The Four Agreements

- Every time I want to have a good cry I put on this song

 

 

A random journal entry:

2.9.23

i love my life

i refuse to die with a disappointed mind

i want to die with a mindset of appreciation, sweet satisfaction, and deep deep love

 

 

A fun announcement:

You heard it here first lol. Me and Connor (and also my aunt Keli, coincidentally) are leaving LA after two years and moving to my hometown of Pensacola, Florida. We’re going to live in a small duplex there in the cutest little East Hill neighborhood, just a few blocks away from my lifelong best friends. I’m going to get to teach dance again. And be near family. And live so close to the water. And we’ll get to have Hunter back! It’s our swing at building a life of our own, together. It’s absolutely terrifying and everything I want most. To everyone who’s made LA such a special experience for us — thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll always remember LA as where I realized my greatest dreams. Pensacola is where I hope to live them out.

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Thanks for reading :) Talk again soon.