6.16.24 - Considering Deer

(Isabelle Roig - June 23, 2024)

The other day at coffee with Evelyn I found myself marveling at her nails; long, colorful, individual pieces with charms and I believe one with a sticker of some holy figure. She informed me that a lovely girl named Adelyn had done them for her, a name I recognized from Instagram dot com and from a message she'd sent recently inquiring about a photoshoot. My gut told me to reach back out to her, and though I have never been much of a nail guy I proposed a trade. She happily accepted, and informed me that she would be providing her services out in Ridgedale where she lived, and where she tended to her deer.

Naturally, I perked up. Deer. I love deer. I don't know if anything more Missourian exists. I also enjoy working with animals generally, terribly, immensely. Though her gorgeous home was 30 minutes out and I was low on gas, I couldn't imagine something warm and special wouldn't happen in the exchange. I'm trying to remain open to serendipity these days, a quality in life I've started to place high on my values compass even though my brain has been riddled with post-grad anxieties and intrusive cravings for familiarity.

When I got to Ridgedale after a few wrong turns, I was greeted by Adelyn, her three dogs who frequent upstairs (all 'B' names), her two indoor cats who congregate downstairs, (both Italian names), and a delightful clique of woodland creatures.

Their legal names are: Gloria, Stacey, Pippin, Merry, Emily, Miss Fuzzy, Sweetie and Sassy. There also lives a human personality-imbued black cat by the name of Salem. She is tremendously chatty and loves the company of anybody with a pulse.

Adelyn and I talked a lot. She is a Capricorn (like me) and a Gemini rising. She is starting cosmetology school in August, and has lived a lot of life in her nineteen years. I recall chatting about the importance of making friends your own age - a skill I didn't know I could have until until I turned 20 - while she tried out a tiger's eye polish on me. We remarked that the color reminded us of Missouri fireflies in the summer, or Salem's eyes.

We also talked about serendipity and intuition. At the time I was (in denial that I was) pining after a job in a different city, which probably wasn't the best fit for me. We agreed that timing is weird, and promptly after this I received two emails from other job applications I'd submitted - on a Sunday night. Timing is weird. One moment, it's all crickets and you're enjoying deer until something has to happen.

Every summer in the American Midwest is simultaneously enchanting while being kind of a vortex. Perhaps that's also a product of being 25 years old. Nothing makes sense and that makes perfect sense of course. In any case, I am still enamored by the cosmetic science behind tiger's eye nail polish, the living fairies like Adelyn who offer me proximity to deer, the remaining mini Kosher dills in the fridge, and a memory I'll happily hold on to.