Cranes in the Sky

Learning to Sit Still While the World Keeps Building

A Seat with the Rugrats. Via @sicklervillain (Instagram)

Post-grad life feels like one big construction zone. Every day, I’m stacking things—plans, emotions, routines—hoping they’ll form something solid. But no matter how much I build, it still feels like there’s always something unfinished.

It’s that feeling Solange captured so perfectly: “I tried to run it away, thought then my head be feeling clearer.” I’ve tried that too. I’ve filled my days with everything from content creation to aimless walks through the Bronx, hoping to quiet that restless ache. Some days it works. Most days, it doesn’t.

Because here’s the truth: you can’t escape feeling. No amount of busy will fill the emptiness. And that’s been the hardest part of this season—realizing that all the cranes I see, all the things I’m trying to build, might not fix what’s underneath.

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I think a lot about how this was supposed to look.

Post-grad life, I mean. I thought it’d feel more put together. More clear. But instead, it’s just… this. A mix of frustration, hope, uncertainty, and moments of joy that remind me to keep going.

I don’t have the answers. Honestly, I’m learning to be okay with that. Maybe the work right now isn’t to figure everything out, but to let myself feel it—without running, without fixing, without trying to turn it into something it’s not.

So if you’re in this space too, just know you’re not alone. It’s messy, and heavy, and sometimes even beautiful. We’re all just here, staring at the cranes in the sky, and trying to make something that feels like home.

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Until next time,

Stay bold, stay brilliant, and remember, as Jay-Z says, You could be anywhere in the world, but you're here with me. I appreciate that!

-Shadé