It’s K’s mother’s birthday today, and also my stepfather’s.
My colleague R is in today and she is wearing stripey socks, a stripey t-shirt, and the red of her jacket matches the red in the stripes of her socks. It’s very pleasing. She’s on the phone with her father. We’re all in the era of dealing with elderly parents, but I don’t think hers are in crisis at the moment, and this is good.
N is worrying. Thesis due soon. Next year not nailed down. I tell my colleague J over coffee. She reassures me that N is only 22 and will undoubtedly find something wonderful to do. She is right, of course. I try to pass this reassuring point of view along in a way that will not cause alarm.
Work is ticking along. I solve one worrying problem and crack the back of another. This is good, and I realize that I’m not horribly late after all.