Salience

A few weeks ago I woke up anxious about a few things: a lack of clarity on a project I’m working on, the misfortune a friend recently experienced, an upcoming trip, general planetary vibes. But then while putting away the dishes, my finger glanced off the kitchen cabinet at just the right angle and a long splinter wedged under my fingernail, puncturing the nail bed. The pain was shocking, rippling up my hand and into the neighboring fingers. I could see the lance of bruise-colored material through my nail, but it went deep enough that none of it was exposed; I couldn’t even attempt to pull it out. The other day, not long after flying into Seattle to house- and pet-sit while my family took a much needed vacation, I felt a sensation in the back of my throat that I’ve come to associate with post-nasal drip. Almost every time I’ve flown out to visit that wing of my family in recent years, I’ve come down with a four-day upper-respiratory something-or-other that’s not-fun for two of those…