1 : an instrument for determining the pressure of the atmosphere … 2 : something that indicates fluctuations …
~Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.
That’s me—trouble-sensor. Tone of voice, cocked eyebrow, a wistful look or sigh—just a few of the indications capable of tilting my mercury. Developed at a very young age and being somewhat “state-of-the-art” (the second and more emotionally-inclined of my parents’ two children), I learned to predict a storm based not only on the most minute data but also with alarming accuracy. (Sure, I’ve been wrong from time to time, but fortunately, in addition to an acute awareness of atmospheric pressure [or lack of it], I am also equipped with imagination; where a storm does not exist, I almost always can create one.)
Truth is, I am far more sensitive to foul weather than fair. What exactly caused this imbalance is hard to say; perhaps it was the way my mother smiled at me before sending me off to summer camp for the first time. I didn’t want to go, didn’t even know until a day or two before, when my mom dragged the giant, black trunk into my room and started packing all my things. Eight weeks of overnight camp at the age of seven was my initiation into the world of silence. And so, with very little guidance, I learned to listen carefully to what wasn’t said and the “language” one uses to say it.
No comments:
Post a Comment