I was cross with the printer and then realised I was really cross with time

Dear Delyara, The printer did that thing printers do when they sense desperation. It refused, blinked, dragged one page halfway through, then stopped with a noise that felt passive-aggressive. My son needed the sheet for school, my coffee was cooling, and I could feel anger rising far beyond what a machine deserves. It took me a minute to understand that I wasn’t actually furious with the printer. I was furious with timing. With the way every small delay in family life lands on the person already carrying the rest. With how often one badly timed malfunction can push an already full morning into emotional debt. With how little room there is between “manageable” and “sharp” on some days. Eventually the page printed. My mood took longer.