17 Again

Sixteen was semisweet. 

It had some amazing moments. Noa appeared in three plays last fall, nailing a monologue as Ann Kronenburg in Dear Harvey, taking a convincing turn as a disaffected young white male in #Matters, and then playing Sandy Stier in Proposition 8, a mom who sued the state of California in order to marry her partner (which resulted in Noa now having a wife and two kids at Burke). Noa painted a family portrait. They started college visits including staying overnight at Oberlin visiting Gabriel and Rosemary. They got their learner's permit... and logged three entire hours of driving. They rescued a desk chair from the streets of Capitol Hill. Noa got a fancy camera and started playing with light. Noa went to both homecoming and prom. They went to a cafe filled with cats. They discovered peaches & cream Olipop.

But, sixteen was also really hard. There were issues with teachers and homework and seasonal affective disorder. The college process, while exciting, is also scary and overwhelming and translates into even more homework and deadlines. 200 million gallons of waste water contaminated the Chesapeake right before Noa was supposed to plunge into it. Noa quit viola and youth orchestra (though did squeeze in a final concert and recital). They lost their rubber ducky (which was also part of their art project). The Potbelly at Union Station closed.

We did what we could to mitigate the sad times. Teachers were talked to (and Noa, belatedly, worked on advocating for themself). They got a light therapy lamp (albeit at the end of winter and one which takes up their entire desk). Noa did not jump into the Chesapeake, and instead were sprayed by really cold water outside in the middle of winter to support Climate Action. A gelato place opened on H Street. 

Because the truth is, sometimes life is really hard and you just have to get through it, even if getting through it isn't always fun. But you don't always have to get through it alone.

So happy birthday, little one. Remember that we're always here for you, Noa, and that we love you so, so much.

1. "Pluck around a little twinkle, twinkle on the piano."
2. Sometimes, if you're young at heart and you work it right, you can still order off the kids' menu.
3. I have a cat.
4. Sapphic love and falling off cliffs are not directly related. They aren't unrelated either, though.
5. Plan B: ferrets.
6. Acting is all about commitment. Unfortunately, that commitment sometimes culminates in a bloody nose.
7. You can't get what you want, particularly if the local coppersmith has never heard of Triton. But sometimes you get what you need (sort of).
8. Let's go, lesbians!
9. You don't need a bunch of role playing rules. Just write a good mystery, draw some cool assets, have a bunch of creative friends, and a Perfect Six will work just fine.
10. And in the immortal words of Nick in Zootopia 2, 

There's a lot of different animals out there, and sometimes we start to look at all of the little reasons that we're not the same. And it makes us worry. But maybe if we just talk to each other, if we just try to understand one another, we would see that our differences don't really make any difference at all. Maybe we even see that what makes me, me, and you, you, can make us even stronger.