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January 27, 2005

so said k.

My friend k. says that the best way to beat the winter funk is to make daily lists of little things that make you happy, and to stab yourself with them repeatedly. On a somber remembrance day can something as trivial as a smile help me keep focus on the beautiful blinding sun outside, and the frostiest of blue skies, well I do think so. Maybe. Here goes.

1. First one was less a smile than a studious frown, seen on a young man in gigantic cushioned headphones from which thumping bass grooves could be heard from front to back of the bus; he had his nose buried into a pocket book, French Grammar – Intermediate, and my heart swell

2. Apparently someone thought I was deserving of a treat, and produced a 85% cocoa excellence bar and a jar of coffee right by this very desk! making my heart swell and swell, while I maintain my alarming productivity

3. The picklejar lady, my very favourite… really, she shouldn’t be at number three. So to recap, in the aftermath of a plant closure, shocked and sulky ex-workers are often sent our way for alchemy seminars or whatever it is we do around here to cheer folks up. It came to be that, one victim of the closure of another Kraft Foods plant is a lady of 73 years who supervised the canning of pickles, and who have kept at it from way before I was born for 6 days a week, which is simply stupendous considering how sparkly her eyes are. And how energically she kept shaking her head, and saying how she needs to find another job, and fast! because she can’t stand children, and the minute she gets off work, she gets asked to babysit grandchildren and greatgrandchildren and it simply is crazy and simply cannot be… I knew I was supposed to hand out pamphlets and walk her around our quality premises, but I just stood there and kept listening to her grievances, watching her smile grow bigger and bigger until it broke through everything.

4. I can’t think of any number 4 (have a refill of number 2)

5. At random : the word lewd, the word levorotory, the words holy shit, amongst others, leave me with nothing to do but smile.

Posted by nathalie at January 27, 2005 4:54 PM