Us Versus the World

Laundromats and Promises

Being 17 and a half can be very difficult, mostly because you have literally zero grasp on anything that is going to happen in the immediate future. You could have made one of the most important decisions of your life and then suddenly everything changes. That's what happened to me.

My name is Devon. I'm 17 and a half years old.

In my mind, it's pretty obvious that there are places where reality is altered. I don't believe in alternate realities or parallel universes. I think every choice we make is final, I do believe in slightly different self-contained realities co-existing with our own. These are places where things don't quite exist the way they do in our normal world. What happens in these places stays in these places, forever.

In my field notebook I've compiled a list of places I've found so far where reality is altered:

My bedroom at 5:00 am

Inside a dark cabinet

Rest stops on highways

(And unfamiliar McDonalds on a long road trip)

Early in the morning when it's just snowed

Laundromats at midnight

My best friend's living room during a sleepover once she's asleep

The lighting section of Home Depot

Schools during the weekend

The list is ever growing, but every place is otherworldly, a place you can only experience if you step out of your reality. Logically, they don't connect to our real lives, and I'm pretty sure that time is warped here as well. If you've ever been to any of these places it's pretty obvious that they're not a part of our universe. When you enter one of these places, or more likely stumble into one by accident, your perception increases, and you instantly become a lot smarter and self-aware. Obviously, if you ever need to solve a problem, you should go to these places.

Personally, I frequent the laundromat. I absolutely don't need to. My mother bought a new washing machine about a month ago, and so if I wanted to, I could wash all of my clothes at home. In fact, the laundromat is 2 miles away from my house, and so it's inconvenient getting there. My family values efficiency so this doesn't really make any sense at all. Even so, I still go there every week at least to wash all my clothes and step out of my reality for the 30 minute wash cycle and the 1 hour dry cycle, to step out of reality for a breath.

I have lots of other lists in my field notebook. I'm a big fan of lists. They're like getting to organize your thoughts without actually having to write down long descriptions. The two most important lists in my notebook are:

Worst Feelings in the World:

Failing a test you studied really hard for

Getting replaced in a friendship but slow so you don't know it's happening at first

Having something you were looking forward to get canceled

Trying not to cry in front of people

Finding out your crush likes someone else

Talking to somebody about something you're proud of only to get a disinterested reply

Best Feelings in the World:

Taking uncomfortable shoes off after a really long day

Flipping your pillow to the cold side in the middle of the night

Running barefoot on grass