43. Fallen leaves that are mushy underfoot instead of crunchy. Reaching the bottom of a bowl of popcorn to find a glut of unpopped kernels. So much unfulfilled potential. Coathangers and the tanglesome way they live. The cat missing the litter tray, a small smile on her lips as she walks away. The inner conflictContinue reading “…things you find vexing”
Tag Archives: migraine
…after bed
19.When Joan Didion writes about her migraines in her essay, In Bed, she reveals that doctors believe there is a ‘migraine personality’, which includes being inwardly-focused, ambitious, rigidly organised and a perfectionist. You pause to reread this list, noting that you probably tick all of these boxes. You have suffered with migraines for as longContinue reading “…after bed”
…things you’ve inherited
15.— Acceptance of people as they are. Your mother lives her life this way, her face young with the kindness she shows others. She runs a social club for the elderly, organising quizzes and lunches, speakers and performers. She is in her seventies herself, and can also be feisty. This is another trait you’ve inherited.Continue reading “…things you’ve inherited”
…pleasurable things
4. A soft café chair with a tall cup of rhubarb and ginger tea, daffodils in milk bottles, buds on the cusp of opening. The tattoo needle on the summit of your shoulder, like having an itch scratched that you never knew you had. You’ve heard it’s a pleasurable sensation on the face too, butContinue reading “…pleasurable things”
…being lost
3. It’s early afternoon and you ask yourself, why do you feel compelled to write about this? Why would anyone want to read about the negative forcefields of your body? You walk along the river, sit in a cafe and reread Hilary Mantel’s memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, and there you find a chiming struggle.Continue reading “…being lost”
Sally Gander 