The Undone Pants

The playground mom's pants are undone. Her hot pink underwear is visibly exposed, and I can't tell if this is a fashion choice or if I should worry about her. She looks like she belongs at Burning Man, with her dreads and rainbow socks. She dials person after person to tell them how dizzy she feels.

She is lying down on a bench. "It's the adrenaline," she says. She just got a place, and a steady job. She is dizzy from the relief. She finishes her calls and wanders after her daughter. I decide the undone pants are a conscious choice, or she would feel them about to slide down. Besides, I don't know how I would broach the topic.

And pants or no pants, both of us are here to do our jobs. Beyond the most egregious acts, our references won't be checked. We have decades to go before our shifts end, whether dizzy, sick, or unstable. Our kids are on the slide, begging for our attention. We watch them, waving and calling out together.

.........

I'm a writer who is passionate about helping other parents nurture their creativity, and make the hidden known. So Listserve, what do you struggle with the most around being creative?


Satya Khan
satya[AT]unfoldednote.com
Fairfax, CA

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