About July 2024

Jul25
by on July 25, 2025 at 4:23 pm

ON NAPS A four panel comic, rendered in magenta and green. In the first panel, Emily sits on the couch, lounging and looking at her phone, observing "eh, it's early enough still to nap." The narration begins, "This month has been challenge after challenge." In the second panel, Emily is in bed, snug under the covers, content and murmuring "cozy." The narration continues, "The biggest being the fact that--fully through my carelessness--I lost a year's worth of work on my iPad." In the third panel, Emily blearily opens her eyes, looking at the time on her phone, which reads sometime after 3PM. The narration continues, "But I am grateful that lately the despair doesn't overstay its welcome and the silver linings are easier to find." In the fourth panel, Emily sits up in bed, disheveled, looking at her phone and saying "did I sleep through major political news again." The narration concludes, "especially as one crisis follows another though of vastly different scope." -- ON ASHES A four panel comic, rendered in magenta and green. In the first panel, Emily stands, slightly slouched over and exhausted, wisps of smoke trailing from her head. The narration begins, "Burn out, burnt out, burning out." In the second panel, hands are raised, tips of the fingers ashy as the same smoke trails off of them. The narration continues, "How many times do I have to acknowledge it, bring it up in therapy, work on feeling my feelings first and problem solving second, trying to rest but not fall behind and cause more stress and, and, and--" In the third panel, a wall of frames is shown, each with a photo that contains Emily and various friends and family members, all filled with joy. A wisp of smoke trails from the lower right of the panel. The narration continues, "I just want to live my life slowly, surrounded by people I love." In the last panel, Emily stands in the middle, the smoke pouring from her chest as she bends over to try to contain it. The narration concludes, "If this all ends in ashes regardless, why am I trying to expedite the process?" -- ON RUNNING AWAY WITH WHAT FREUD SAID A four panel comic, rendered in magenta and green. In the first panel, Emily sits among others in a line outside of a venue. A woman in a jean jacket adorned with patches offers Emily cupcakes, as Emily hands over a button. The narration begins, "The first glimpse of light after dark days." In the second panel, Emily stands at the rail among the crowd of concert goers, chatting with the person next to her cheerfully. The narration continues, "Like the sun peeking out from clouds after a storm." In the third panel, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats sings into a microphone, strumming a guitar: "city's living, the city's truly living." The narration continues, "Like a long-held breath releasing." In the fourth panel, Emily sits in the passenger seat of a car, leaning over to her dad, who is driving, saying "thanks for picking me up, Dad. love you." The narration concludes, "Like summer relenting, if only for a moment." -- ON COMFORT A four panel comic, rendered in magenta and green. In the first panel, many folks gather in a backyard as Carisa sets up a movie on an inflatable screen with a projector. Emily sits among others in a lawn chair. The narration begins, "It won't strike me until days later--" In the second panel, Emily laughs, eyes closed, true unguarded joy. The narration continues, "how it was this time last year I was having an anxiety attack in my car, finally deciding to talk to my doctor." In the third panel, Emily waves behind her shoulder to Kevin and Carisa as she heads home. The narration continues, "The sharp contrast between then and now--" In the fourth panel, Emily hums wordlessly as she drives home in the night, ease and joy apparent in her relaxed pose, one arm over the edge of the open window in her car. The narration concludes, "The brightness in me knowing that more and more I walk away from these moments holding onto the light more than my self-inflicted dark."

Slowly catching up with all of the About comics; here’s July 2024! See you next week for another batch!

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