I Changed the Tea Towel and Felt Like I Had Improved My Life by One Percent

Dear Delyara, The old tea towel was damp and overused and had reached that stage where it no longer absorbed anything properly, only moved moisture around in a slightly defeated way. I replaced it with a clean dry one and felt a ridiculous amount of satisfaction. I’m laughing as I write this, but the relief was real. Maybe because tired lives are made easier or harder by texture more than people think. One dry towel. One smooth bedsheet. One quiet room. One hot drink. One correctly fitting bra. One drawer that closes properly. One object that does what it should do without adding irritation to the day. Small things matter more when your nerves are already overdrawn. The new tea towel hung there looking absurdly fresh and capable. I envied it slightly. Then I felt grateful for it. That seems a fair description of middle life.