Glimmers of June
Some of my favorite moments of the month
Despite us being a couple of weeks into July, June still happened!! I was beating myself up for writing this late, as if June didn’t count just because I didn’t share my recap on July 1st. I started these posts to create a designated time to reflect on the beauty in my everyday life—it’s actually not that serious, Alysce.
*sigh* I hope to one day break free from the expectations I put on myself. In the meantime—I’ll keep bringing it to therapy.
With that said, here are some moments in June that made me grateful for this silly little magical life.
I saw two Broadway shows this month!
I’ll be honest; The Great Gatsby surprised me! I went in with zero expectations and left thoroughly impressed. The stage design was stunning—I’m still thinking about the fact that they drove a car on stage. I need a behind-the-scenes look at the logistics of that.
The second show was The Picture of Dorian Gray. The show is a modern take on the Oscar Wilde novel, with Sarah Snook playing all 26 characters. There isn’t a traditional set; instead, there are 5 large LED screens, 5 camera operators, and Sarah, with everything happening on stage—including costume changes. The camera operators follow Sarah around the stage as the story unfolds, broadcasting onto the large screens. It was like nothing I’ve seen before. The way Sarah switched between characters, the speed she spoke, and how the cameras danced around her—pure magic. It was brilliant, chaotic, and left me speechless.
I went to a singles rooftop event with two friends and (to my surprise) had really nice conversations—and one questionable one. You win some, you lose some. I ended up going on a date the following week with someone I met there, so I consider the night a success. Going with friends definitely took the pressure off and made for a great exit strategy when needed. We ended our night yapping over a slice of cheesecake (!!The one time I will eat dairy!!) at my favorite Greek restaurant in the LES.
June 5th is my favorite Gemini’s birthday, so we celebrated her at Mister Sunday—house music, an outdoor dance floor, and food trucks. I hope everyone gets to experience a friend like Jen. She is such a light in my life, and I honestly couldn’t imagine NYC without her!
My sister visited for a long weekend! Our time together was chill. We picnicked in the park (multiple times), spent a day bopping around Brooklyn, went to a comedy show, had dinners out, and visited a few of my favorite spots on the UWS. Living on the opposite side of the country from my siblings can feel hard at times, so I’m grateful for visits like this.
The Mayoral primary took place this month. I didn’t realize how much I needed this win and the sense of hope it brought with it.
I’ve found that turning to my community when the country feels like it’s burning helps me from spiraling into despair. I marched with fellow New Yorkers and attended a community training (thanks to a friend sharing) on how to best support those the current administration is targeting within our community. It was extremely insightful and gave me clear actions I can take. I share this as a reminder that if you’re feeling lost about what to do during this scary time, sometimes direction lies in your closest circle.
On the topic of “things I do to avoid spiraling into despair”, when life feels heavy, I immerse myself in art, both man-made and nature-made. I spent many days this month wandering the Met, walking through Central Park, and sitting on the beach. Honestly, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach lately—so much so that I’ve daydreamed about moving closer. We’ll see! In the meantime, I’m really grateful to live in Manhattan and have access to the beach within a 90-minute train ride.
Once a month, I receive a delivery from Botanical Brothers. They’re a brother-run service that delivers ready-to-arrange flowers. I’ve found this to be a highlight of my month. It’s such a creative outlet, and I’m learning about new species of flowers—which is fun! This was June’s bouquet, and I love how she turned out.
Lastly, a few moments that my camera didn’t capture, but still made my June:
My friends and I had our best night at trivia yet!
I saw Materialists, and I know the movie received a lot of criticism, but I didn’t hate it!! I thought it was fun to watch a movie about a thirty-something-year-old living in NYC, navigating her life, and making questionable life decisions. I don’t know, it felt relatable.
I attended my first StoryTell event and connected with strangers through personal stories—my favorite!
and I had a new friend date!! She’s a friend of a friend (from back in WI) who also lives on the UWS. We hit it off immediately, and I’m excited to get to know her more.
Thanks for catching up with me! I hope you have a beautiful rest of July!
xx,
Alysce