THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION
The Howl After the Storm
Stillness
Yesterday I snapped on my dog, Waffles’, leash.
Then I sat down on the couch to put on my sneakers.
I pulled on my right shoe and stopped.
Maybe, I’m done, I thought. Maybe this was as much as I could manage today.
I took a deep breath and thought about Tom Brady’s mantra, “If you don’t want to do it, do it anyway.”
Inspired by the quarterback, I slid on my left shoe and thought, Okay, that’s enough.
I was proud of myself for putting on two shoes. Look at me, I thought, I’m doing it. Don’t overdo it. This isn’t the Super Bowl.
Then I paused, noticing the absence of distance I could carry this pig leather without any juice.
Maybe I’ll just sit on this couch today. It’s an okay couch. The cushions slide a little forward but unless the earth starts tipping, I won’t fall off.
I sat there a while. Maybe half an hour. Maybe 30 seconds. Maybe four years. Time, Hilarious. What is time? It’s a watch, an hourglass, a state of mind. The days are long. The years are fast.
Waffles sat facing me, tilting his inquiring head, one ear hanging down slack, the other flopped over…
