Picture this: You’ve been quarantining at the crib for the past two weeks, you know, trying to lay low. But to be real, you’re going a little stir crazy. So when your friends text: “Beach today?” You write back: “Downnnnn.”
Before you leave the house, you pack a bag: tanning oil, towel, speaker, water bottle, and a bandana, just in case.
You and your friends have ambitiously decided to get Citibikes and ride two hours to the beach. You’re not looking forward to it, but your friend who’s always looking on the bright side, says: “When we get there, it’ll be like we earned it!”
45 minutes into the ride and you’re sweating bullets. When you pull over for a break, you pour water down your face, pat it dry with the bandana, then tie it around your head to push your hair back. It’s secure, but soft around your crown, the fabric is light, but sturdy.
Your homegirl was right. Once you start feeling the salt hit your face, and see all that blue on the horizon, working so hard for this does feel sweeter. When you get to the shore, you and your friends don’t even bother setting up a whole section, you just throw your shit down and run straight into the sea with your clothes on.
Afterwards, you offer to go cop a few beers. Instead of putting on your heavy ass N95, you tie your bandana around your face. Back on the sand, you and your friends stretch out to sip. The cap of the bottle is slippery, so you use your bandana to grip it.
At dusk, you all gather for a moment of silence to watch the sun dip away behind the surf. Then it’s time to make the journey home. Your shirt is damp and sandy, so instead of putting it back on, you tie your bandana around your chest.
“Ohh, check you out. You just made a whole new look!” Your girl says.
You look down at the bandana, and it strikes you how good of an investment it was. It has highkey held you down all day. It’s a wardrobe staple that’s lived new lives every time you’ve used it, or styled it differently. How interesting, poetic even, how many purposes it served and places it's been with you.
