The breezes blew all morning. They now pick up to constant wind. The storm door slams multiple times. Mira and I wonder if the glass will break. Of course, the predicted thunderstorms are late, but they’ll come.

Meanwhile, my head spins. X, formerly known as Twitter, is abuzz with election ’24. The sudden life and surging hope Democrats feel since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Biden as the Presidential candidate continues. The surge became a torrent when she selected Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her VP running mate. The feel-good images and upbeat memes continue. The Republicans, on the other hand, look desperate. Trump’s VP running mate, J.D. Vance, can’t get off the couch, so to speak. Trump had a disastrous interview at the National Association of Black Journalists. After a week of non-appearances, he delivered a 77-minute press conference yesterday, in which he…well, let’s just say he had his “Biden Debate” moment.

The flood of scrolling—doom, hope, whatever—rolls across my mind. I feel the compressed effect of cognitive overload, like after a day spent at the Met. & yet how can I lay off, when so many interesting stories and analyses keep appearing?

By taking a breath. Await the coming storm. Feel the ache in my back from this office chair, listen to Mira chat with her oldest sister. Where else is life happening but right here and now?

even now

before the thunder comes

grasshopper sounds