My inner child now lives in British Columbia?
I don't love you because you're beautiful, you're beautiful, BC, I love you
Floor Time
/flôr tīm/
noun
the 15-60 minute time period spent laying on the floor in the middle of the work day, typically as a relief from the soul-sucking reality of corporate America.
Hiya! First I’d like to formally apologize for leaving all of you Floor Timers Floor Time-less the past two weeks. I didn’t plan it but my trip to British Columbia became a much more off-the-grid endeavor than expected—resulting in seven WiFi-less and blissful days. But hi! Missed ya!
This wasn’t my first time in BC. I’ve actually visited on a handful of occasions, typically around my uni days when my exchange friends were studying at UBC. But I haven’t been back since 2018, so when the opportunity came up to go for a wedding in Tofino, with a bonus week with friends at a family cabin, obviously I was thrilled.
I won’t get into too many details of the trip (but if you want to see more photos, check out my Instagram). What I want to talk about, rather, is the “inner child.” First, you should know this: I am a summer kid, through and through. Always have been. From ages 3-18 I spent every summer at the pool as a competitive swimmer and later, also a coach. An old friend used to joke that in my hometown if you didn’t swim in the summer, you didn’t have friends. It wasn’t really a joke. Swimming was the personality of my tiny suburban town. And it was where I would spend 8-12 hours of my days. My parents would drop me off at the pool for practice and after I would read, nap, play with friends, swim again, go home for lunch, then return in the late afternoon for night meets. In the words of Dani Rojas, [swim] is life!
But Clarice, what does this have to do with BC!? Yes, I’m getting back to that. Summer swimming was my whole childhood—it shaped me in more ways than I myself could name1. And this past week and a half, spending time in the most blissful backdrop of sun, surf, and water, doing every water activity imaginable (except for wakeboarding—I’ll circle back on this) reinvigorated my inner child in a way that I haven’t experienced for a while.
A big part of this was getting back in touch with my favorite activities (nearly all of which are less accessible where I live in New York). This basically includes any water activity2—we swam, surfed, paddle boarded, kayaked, and cliff jumped. And it made me realize that even if these are harder to access in a major city like New York, I should try34, because those are the things that make me feel energized and whole amidst miscellaneous chaos. We need those moments of fulfillment to stay sane. So stay tuned for all the inner kid activities that I’m starting to plan for the summer. And if you feel inclined to continue the convo, tell me what brings out your inner kid in the comments.
Something Extra
I subscribe to Maggie Rogers’ newsletter (obviously), and normally I just read them and trash them, but something about this one hit different. If you want to give it a read and maybe feel what I feel, you can subscribe to her newsletter. Unfortunately, I can’t link to the full email but sharing some of my favorite passages below to give you a sense.
Something Pretty
Imagine you get married and this is your backdrop.
Something To Laugh About
I mean the main thing is Ocean Gate (which made a phenomenal meme name for the thing itself, but is actually the name of the submarine company lawl)—the internet really be internettin’ in regards to this news story. Although the story ended tragically, I can’t help but admit that I was enthralled by this 3-in-1 news jackpot of ocean news, eat-the-rich news, and flawed technology news.
This + the amount of stitches on it. Periodt.
On the topic of inner child and childlike wonder, this precious angel human.
Have you ever not blacked out on Soju? If you say yes, I literally don’t believe you. Watch this.
I am once again asking [the ether] to bring back Vine, because of things like this.
One of my greatest joys in life is knowing that this, playing the recorder, continues to be a universal experience for future generations.
And finally this. One more week ‘til the end of June, folks!
Go out and be your inner child this weekend. Paint a picture, do a puzzle, play some kickball. Be free!!!
Til’ next time, kiddos. Your friend,
Clarice
By the way…I’m reading this.
While I still trudge through Throne of Glass, I also finished Talented Mr. Ripley (spectacular, to no one’s surprise), Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman (ideal for theatre and film nerds), Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune (easy read, perfect for whilst in Canadia, and then the ending made it lose a star for me), The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (overhyped and mediocre), and Spare by Prince Harry (*guffaw* literally he is so cringe I don't know why I even thought I could read this). Currently, midway through NSFW by Isabel Kaplan (edited by my dear friend, Ruby Rose Lee—you star!!!).
I am also suddenly remembering that this is what I wrote my college admissions essay on (the one that got me into Berkeley…#gobears!). So I guess it was a big deal for me.
The first photo I have of me at a beach is at 4 months old. My dad was holding me over the warm Pacific Ocean in Maui. The drip was off the charts with my bucket hat and sunnies and a smile from ear to ear (never fully dressed without…). Literal water baby!!!
Catch me surfing this weekend at the Rockaways!!