Opted Out

The day before a midwinter melt seems shy with expectation. Just when my surroundings are feeling too familiar, some shift in the weather to shake things up. Ice is king in the deep stream hollows, tiny trickles through the rocks grown up as mighty icicles. The low cut of Healey's Brook has heart, lonesome and so separate as it is. It's just what I need as reminder who I am, after a couple hours in company. This week, a woman invited me to her church, said I wouldn't be disappointed. I opted out, and explained that I've always experienced disappointment in a crowd. I only accept busy rooms on two occasions — when I'm a storyteller speaking to an audience, or when I'm completely anonymous, like at a concert. Otherwise, my social experience is best kept one-on-one. I'll pass on a series of hugs and handshakes, as people congratulate me for joining their club. The only stranger's embrace I've been craving is a tree on the steep climb up.

 

January 5, 2026

Outram, Nova Scotia

 

Year 19, Day 6630 of my daily journal.

 

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