other ways

I listen to my friend on the radio. she speaks with authority and I feel pride and tell myself to remember these good things. there is warmth in her voice when she talks about her brothers before reading the news. I hear her laugh in the handover back to the morning show presenter and hope he realises how lucky he is to occupy the same spaces as her. there is cause for me to reflect on the fact that I am connected through this feeling to so many people I’ll never know, all of whom take pride in loving the friends and parents and children and partners I work with. there is cause for me to think kindly of those who keep me on my toes or on the fringes of comfort, frustrating or patronising with their demands and assumptions as I try to keep up with the rhythms they set for the hymns I’m still learning. there is cause for me to think, though I am tired, and find myself thinking enough about matters more important. there is life beyond my screen and there are other ways to be.