parishshare-Emotion
At the village shop someone asked whether Beth was enjoying being the rector's wife. She teaches half their children, has a name and certainly works harder than I do at plenty of things, so I was unexpectedly cross. Gave a cheerful answer about her class instead of saying that. Then I told her at tea, expecting a shared grumble, and she said she'd been hearing it for two years. Ah. I felt rather late to the matter. She wasn't asking me to make a speech about it, just to notice. I did feel protective, but perhaps also a bit embarrassed that I thought I'd discovered something new.
staginglot-Emotion
a woman getting out at the airport said she hoped i got to go somewhere nice soon too. not in a rude way, she was lovely, tipped and everything, but it hit me sideways. i had been telling her all the good places to eat and she asked where i went on vacation and i made my usual joke about the gas station. then she was gone with her suitcase and i was mad at nobody. i wanted to be the person being dropped off for once, with somebody asking if i'd packed a charger. my sister sent a picture of her kid wearing my sunglasses while i was waiting in the lot and i laughed. still wanted the suitcase, though
saltblock-Mind
The book my wife left on the table has a man walking away from land his family kept for years. I kept waiting for the writer to show he was making a mistake, then realised I was supplying that part myself. There wasn't much in the story to say he ought to stay. I can understand leaving when I think about each of my children, and get stubborn about it when it's a stranger on a page. Maybe because the page can't argue back. Told my wife the fellow should have given it another season. She asked how many seasons would satisfy me. I went back to reading, but the question has stayed with me longer than the chapter.
allowit-Mind
we had this question in law about whether something being legal makes it right and i had my answer ready before the teacher finished, obviously no, next question. but then a girl in my class brought up rules about school uniform and i couldn't explain why i was treating that differently without making up a new rule halfway through. i still think she was wrong about the example she used. i've been arguing it again in my head on the bus though and now i can't remember her exact words, only the annoying calm way she said them. would be helpful if my brain recorded the argument instead of just recording me losing it.
rechampir-Body
La marche a commencé dans le brouillard, avec les manches humides au bout de dix minutes. J'avais les mains froides malgré les gants et je serrais un peu trop les sangles du sac. Plus haut, le soleil est arrivé sans prévenir. Je me suis arrêtée pour retirer une couche et j'ai senti la chaleur sur mes avant-bras, très simple, presque surprenante après la montée grise. Le poignet droit ne gênait pas tant que je le laissais ouvert. À la descente, les cuisses ont travaillé davantage. Ce soir elles sont lourdes, mais l'épaule ne réclame rien. J'aimerais parfois que les murs soient accessibles à pied plutôt qu'au bras levé.
3holepunch-Mind
An architect asked me to book a meeting with everyone available, then listed three people who did not actually need to attend. I started hunting for a time anyway before wondering why I was solving the hardest version of this problem. Asked what decision they needed from the meeting and suddenly it was four people, not fourteen. Great, love discovering that half my calendar panic was optional. I keep thinking about how often I hear everybody and treat it like a precise instruction. My mother's the same, family dinner means the entire population. The smaller meeting is booked. Now someone has asked if it needs to be a meeting at all. Please decide before I move another Tuesday.
كتاب_وبس-Mind
أفكر في الكرسيين اللذين أريدهما لركن القراءة، وكلما تخيلتهما أضعهما بجوار نافذة المكتبة، ثم أتذكر أن هناك كراتين الملازم في هذا المكان. صاحب المكتبة لن يوافق على نقل بضاعة تباع من أجل بنات يجلسن من غير شراء، وهذا اعتراض مفهوم حتى لو لم يعجبني. ربما نجرب ساعة هادئة في آخر يوم قليل الزبائن، بكرسيين موجودين أصلاً، لا نشتري شيئاً ولا نسميه مشروعاً كبيراً. أحتاج فقط أن أسأله قبل أن أدعو أحداً، لأنني أكاد أعد بنتين بالفعل. عندي هذه العادة، أتخيل الناس سعداء بالفكرة فأنسى أن المكان ليس ملكي.
rondamalem-Emotion
Anak saya tadi menunjukkan hasil tugas sekolah lewat video, kertasnya terlalu dekat kamera sampai tidak terbaca. Saya minta dijauhkan, dia mengira nilainya kurang bagus dan langsung menjelaskan bagian yang salah. Padahal saya cuma ingin melihat gambarnya. Setelah jelas, saya bilang bagus dan minta dia ceritakan cara membuatnya, lalu dia bicara panjang sekali. Senang mendengar suaranya, tetapi setelah telepon ditutup saya juga sedih. Istrinya tetangga bisa melihat tugas anak di meja tiap hari, saya harus menunggu layar tidak macet dulu. Saya tahu untuk apa merantau, bukan menyesal. Cuma malam ini ingin duduk di sebelah anak, bukan menjadi wajah kecil di sudut telepon.
sumne-Body
My daughter wanted me to sit inside the little house she'd made with the dining chairs, so I folded myself under a bedsheet and stayed there for nearly half an hour. No back support, one leg going numb, and still more comfortable than the chair I choose voluntarily for eight hours at office. I think it helped that nobody needed me to look attentive. We lay down eventually and she put her warm feet against my stomach while explaining the rules of her house. When I crawled out my hip made a sound that impressed her hugely. I'm tired tonight, but it's a different tiredness from staring at the laptop until the words blur.
backtack-Body
Walked part of the way home with groceries and noticed I was matching my steps to the song coming from a parked car. I had been sitting at the coverstitch machine most of the day, moving the same foot on the pedal, so it felt good to use both legs for something bigger. Switched the bag from one hand to the other when the handles started pressing into my fingers. Nothing hurt, I was just warm and properly hungry by the stairs. My son met me halfway up and took the bread, the lightest thing, with great effort. I let him. We reached the kitchen talking at the same time, and I ate a piece before putting the rest of the groceries away.