A thing I love to do is people-watch, and then make up stories about their lives. To myself. All alone. For abnormally long periods of time.

Certainly this has something to do with being an only child, learning to amuse ourselves when no one else is around. (Did any of you have imaginary friends? I did. His name was Mark. I also talk to myself a lot. Full conversations, wherein I make myself elle oh elle.)

I spent my day wondering about hillbillies. Do you know any? I do wonder what it would be like to meet a proper hillbilly.

That aside, I also spent my day going into previously uncharted nooks and crannies around my neighbourhood. First, I discovered this hidden but-not-really-a-secret-garden garden which belongs to the Museum of Nature, and appears to be accessible 24 / 7. I will pop over one night to confirm this, see how lit up it is, and if it would be welcoming or if maybe hillbillies camp out there after dark.

Second, I discovered another proper secret garden and very inappropriately sat on the mushroom that you see in this piece’s primary image. I don’t know if it’s a stool, but I certainly pretended it was. This place was inside of a compound, and I may have been trespassing. (If I suddenly show up on some CCTV because I sat on the wrong thing, and was talking to myself, please let me know.) The small plots of garden are sectioned off, and every person decides how they will mark their space. This was my favourite, and if this ’29’ human is the one who finds me on CCTV, I’m sure they won’t report me; they’re clearly too nice to do such a thing because swirls and flowers are painted by nice people –

Finally, I found another Little Free Library (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), from which I borrowed a book. I have three books which I will drop off tomorrow, inshAllah. (For those of you curious, it is along Argyle, between O’Connor and Elgin.)

Three new reasons to love my space even more than I already do.

I’d love to know about your own neighbourhoods; please share what hidden gems are lining your sidewalks. ❤️

Today, I am grateful for:
1. Sunshiney days without a drop of rain.
2. Having a gym in my apartment. I spent an hour in there watching American Gods on my phone, and eating cookies while people grunted and sweated all around me. Just kidding. I spent an hour alone on my arms, because I am every University boy to ever exist across all time. (Tomorrow, I’ll do legs.) I won’t lie – I absolutely kept flexing in the mirror, watching for my biceps to get more toned because I am a total loser.
3. Momma choosing her flooring. Another task completed today, another tiny hop towards her home lovely and new and ready. What a purification (thank you Fatoomy!) this has been.

Ottawa | June 17, 2019

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