Loneliness in the middle of the night. Banks that call then put you on hold. “You have an important call from some bank.” I always hang up.

Summer reruns endured only out of boredom. The chronic sad. The chronic happy. List-making. Form-filling. Busyness. Phil Collins.

Someone else’s mirth when you are far from mirth. Someone else’s melancholy when you are far from melancholy. Someone else’s success when you are far from success.

Summer blockbuster movie trailers. Delivery people. People who telephone while they continue to watch TV. People who hate dogs. Listening to stories of other people’s vacations. Finding matching socks. A toothache. Walking in crowds with umbrellas.

SS