I nearly cried because the bananas were already too ripe

Dear Delyara, Not because of fruit. Because of waste. Because of money. Because of timing. Because of how many tiny things have started feeling heavier than they should. I picked them up, pressed the skin, and immediately knew they had gone past the point where the children would want them in their lunchboxes tomorrow. Then came the small internal chain reaction — maybe banana bread, maybe freeze them, maybe smoothies, maybe one more thing to save because I cannot bear throwing food away when everything already feels too expensive and too hard-earned. That is what emotional life looks like now sometimes. Not grand tragedy. A woman in a kitchen holding overripe bananas and feeling the whole week pressing on her shoulders through them. I put them down and laughed at myself. Then I didn’t feel like laughing anymore.