I bumped into myself today
I
am looking well
A
little bit of extra weight perhaps
I
noticed I’d had a recent haircut
It
is very neat
Was
I not going to go for something
More
uncontrolled?
I
am a creature of habit.
Wasn’t
it my birthday last week?
I
don’t ask myself for numbers
I
told myself about the coffee meetup with friends
I
surprise myself sometimes at
How
sociable I can be.
Carrot
cake? It’s always carrot cake
And
a pot of tea
I
asked myself how my university course was going
Creative
Writing, yes?
I
confessed to myself that it was getting tough
Have
I read the Illad, I asked myself
No,
I replied.
We
did not talk about school and what
I
learned and didn’t learn
Because
of the class I was in.
It
is on Spotify, if I want to listen to it.
And
the knitting? I asked
I
told myself about the Tunisian crocheting hooks
I
am keen to start playing with them
But
there are other project to finish first
Ah,
I said
I
never was one for completing things, was I?
I
laughed with myself about the half-knitted baby cardigan.
I
glanced at my watch
The
number 5 bus was due
I
hugged myself and said I must dash
Don’t
be a stranger, I said
As
I turned away
I met myself a few weeks
back. Up until then I had been busy. There was no conversation at mealtimes. Breakfast
was spooned into the mouth by one hand while the other was thumb-scrolling down
Facebook posts. The iron was spitting steam and hissing heat as I watched the another
puzzle piece fall into place in a who-done-it. My husband’s theory on these
things is it always turns out to be the famous actor in an understated role.
Not this time though.
I
met myself somewhere between 11 o’clock and midday on a Tuesday. You could call
it new age if you like. An elemental relaxation class on zoom with an intriguing
envelope of art materials. There was a compass in the pack and north for me
points to the corner of the kitchen where the pantry meets the fridge. South is
a bookcase. West is the cooker and east is a vegetable rack in the corner
hijacked by bird seed and suet balls.
I
met myself playing with a blue plastic prickly massage ball. My left foot has
always been a wee bit bigger than my right. It turned out to be much more sensitive
too. I missed much of what was said and done after because I was tying the laces
on my shoes. The ball did a once over most body parts and woke up the sluggish
stuff on the outside.
Yes,
I met myself. I blew a feather. I breathed in slowly.
And
somewhere in it all, I met myself and said, ‘Hello.’
It
is all to easy in the flurry and the hurry, the scurry and the worry of the
day-in day-out routine to lose touch with ourselves. We become strangers to
ourselves and we suddenly we spot ourselves in a mirror and come face to face
with someone who looks a little bit like us, but probably isn’t us.
A
feather and a blue plastic massage ball might help in the meeting of yourself.
A stroll along a path. Watching birds chitter and chatter as they bathe one
another in a puddle. It is when you slow down you meet yourself.
Find
yourself your way and say, ‘Hello.’