A New York Minute

Have you really been to New York City if you haven't taken a photo with an iconic taxi? I mean, I tend to just take Uber 99.9% of the time if I'm in a pinch and opt not to take the subway and walk (#LTrainLife) but you can't deny that the yellow taxi cabs are a New York City staple! Does this post actually have anything to do with taxis? Not particularly (actually, not at all), but why not bring 'em up anyway, right? That's the Francesca thing to do!

My posts have been extra chatty lately in general, but today is Friday and it's been a long week, so let's kick it up a notch, eh?

I actually cannot believe that it's already the middle of August. Pretty soon, it'll be fall and I'll officially have been in New York for six months. Six months. I still can't get over the fact that I'm here in general let alone have been since the end of March. It's wild how fast time goes by. I'm convinced this city is trapped within the confines of some weird space-time continuum that magically makes five months feel like two weeks. The term "New York minute" is no joke. Things happen here in the blink of an eye and so instantaneously that I sometimes can't even keep up.

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I love the go, go, go! lifestyle. I mean, it's part of the reason why I was so attracted to New York. But damn, sometimes I feel so scatterbrained. No matter how many lists I write or calendar invites I create, something always falls through the cracks and I'm left wondering how I let it happen when I'm supposed to be super organized and on top of everything. Anything that I knew about myself previously is now all a lie!

Totally kidding. I just need to learn how to manage with this new, well, everything. New city, new job, new boobs...juuuuuuuuuuust kidding. This isn't a #NewYearNewMe situation. It's literally just me trying to be a responsible adult while also trying to be a twenty-something who can have fun while also trying to stay true to who I am/want to be. Why did that sound like a Camp Rock song?

I used to pride myself on being a pretty organized and level-headed gal. I thought I always kind of knew what I wanted, or at least had a vague idea of it. And now, well, now I think I just threw caution to the wind and decided to embrace the lifestyle of not really knowing anything at all. It's hard to unteach yourself all of the habits you spent so many years building up for yourself. I always tried to be put together and responsible and then I started adopting the "fake it 'til you make it" mantra and now I'm not even sure I know where I stand with myself. I think I've just full on embraced the fact that 22 is the year of being a mess for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to glamorize being a self-certified mess in the slightest. Or a scatter-brained lifestyle. Or being so busy that you forget to text people back unless you have a rare seat on a train and remember that your friend texted you a week ago asking how you were and you didn't have the decency to answer. That's not why I'm here. But I'm also not here to pretend I'm prim and proper and have my head on completely straight. I think I spent too long trying to perceive a certain tier of perfection (long, long ago when I was a teenager)(okay so that was only like, three years ago but let's just go with it) that was also nothing to brag about either.

In reality, I'm a pretty average twenty-two year old. I don't think I'm particularly special in the sense that I've got this big, incredible thing setting me apart. I'm not even trying to be self-deprecating at all. I just find comfort in knowing that I'm sufficiently average and am most likely not alone in my struggle to find a balance that works for me. Not everyone is going to have the same schedule or ways they keep everything from toppling over onto them and leaves them in ruins, just as not everyone is the same or in the same stage of life. We're all unique beings, but sometimes we have similar experiences and we should bask in the normalcy of it all.

Alright guys, don't lie though, did you think of the movie starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen when you saw this blog post title? It's okay, I don't blame you.