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I saw a penguin T-posing the other day and I don’t think anyone can understand the pure joy it brought into my life. Gotta love the T-pose penguin.

Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to another edition of the �������Թ� Blog. I feel like I haven’t written anything really ‘real’ in a while, but after a long day of adventuring and fun, I’m ready to sit down, relax, and write what’s been on my mind.

Firstly, and most foremostly, the amount of writer’s block that I’ve been dealing with has been insane. It’s been a lot of writing, deleting, writing, more deleting, etc. — seemingly a never-ending, constant word vomit and flush over the past week. However, this isn’t to say that I haven’t been having a fantastic time this fall season. From visiting my favorite farms, going lights and sirens at work, catching up with friends, cooking new foods, and taking the time to savor the sun, I cannot say that I’ve had a dull moment.

…except homework, which I conveniently, entirely forgot about as I watched the fall foliage pass by the car window.

Going to Mystic Aquarium had been a rather spontaneous idea between my boyfriend and me. Sharing a love for all things nature and ocean, we decided to take advantage of the warm front that was sweeping through Connecticut. Granted, it was an hour drive there, but that passes easily when you’re with someone who you enjoy conversing with.

And then you miss your exit. Womp womp.

For those who haven’t been to Mystic Aquarium, think of it as a place where your childhood could be re-lived for a moment in the best of ways.

Boyfriend: “You need to stop wandering! You’re like a toddler.”

Author: “And?”

Boyfriend: [pinching his nose]

Walking in, I immediately ran for the beluga whales. They’re such interesting mammals; they blow different bubbles to express different emotions and are known as “canaries of the sea,” as they produce so many distinct noises to communicate with one another. Like most marine mammals, they communicate with echolocation: “the location of objects by reflected sound” (Oxford Languages). It’s like you navigate your surroundings by throwing a bouncy ball and waiting until it gets back to you, in a way.

The rest of the day proceeded in the following order: sea lions, penguins, main aquarium area (jellyfish, sharks, stingrays, spider crabs, mudkips, an adorable seahorse couple, etc.), and back outside until—

“OH MY GOD IT’S THE STINGRAY TOUCH TANK”

I honestly have no idea how my boyfriends or my friends actually put up with me. At all. Bee-lining to the touch tank, I was met with the absolute delight of about 20 de-barbed stingrays that I’ve loved petting since I was a kid. For those who haven’t pet a stingray, they’re very, very soft and smooth. It’s like touching moving butter, in a way. What’s more is that stingrays are rather friendly creatures— several of them came up to us, flapping their fins (wings) in the water and seeing if we had any food for them (which, we did not).

We stood there for a while, petting the buttery-smooth skin of the stingrays and cooing at their adorable-ness.

See, it’s those little moments in life that really make things better. A lot of my life has been thrown into the wind, and I’ve been struggling to find meaning in it all (more on that later). So much of it has also been a whirlwind as well, constantly starting and stopping, moving back-to-back, like one of the staircases in Harry Potter.

But in the moment, with the stingrays and the sunshine, perhaps things weren’t as bad as I thought.

I encourage all of you to find something that balances you. Reading, writing, yoga, going to the gym, running with a friend, baking, etc., and focus on why it grounds you. Life isn’t always going to be linear; there will be moments where it erupts in your face, becomes stagnant and boring, or when you aren’t really sure where you’re going— which I have plenty to speak about in some regards.

Just take it one step at a time, even if you have to hold someone’s hand.

I hope all of you are doing well, and that you know how much I appreciate you taking a peek at my writing. Perhaps it’ll inspire you to find or do something joy-inducing, or just settle down and meet with yourself. It’s okay to breathe for a second.

Everything works out. You just need to let it.

(If only I’d listen to my own advice, hah!)

Sending all my love, hugs, peace, love, and peanut butter (we need more love and hugs),

Bea ;)