"i’m trying hard to be here. it’s difficult. i have a great deal of practice not being present. my body is in the here, but most of my attention is elsewhere; it’s seldom on the now."
problematic peer pressure
"i’ve been feeling quite a bit of peer pressure of late. if someone came to me with a similar complaint, i’d suggest they give the offending party a miss for a while but that won’t be possible in this case. it’s awkward to avoid someone when the someone you’re seeking time away from is you."
a teal facecloth
"to the left of me on my desktop is folded up, teal facecloth. it’s a particularly virulent shade that hasn’t faded as much as one would have hoped over the years, and it has been years. i acquired the cloth in grade ten, more than three decades ago. i’ve kept it all these years as a hair shirt of sorts; it’s not the only one of those i have lying around."
inessential things
"from today’s journal prompt: “what inessential things can i eliminate from my life?” my immediate response was to plan on buying more garbage and recycling bags so i could work on culling the contents of the closets and storage cupboards. they are full of things i don’t really need but find difficult to part with."