Everything falls apart

Yesterday in the space of a couple of minutes, my headphones broke and I realized that it was my phone, not its battery, that was defective. Out of sorts, I went to 826's party, unwound a bit...only to trip and fall running to catch the bus afterward, slow-motion banana-peel style. I nicely ripped holes in my gloves and my knees in the process.

I didn't used to think I was more accident-prone than other people, but by now I suspect it's the case. And something about winter brings on more than its share of problems—bike and feet skid, bag buckles warp, electronics go on the blink (just replaced an alarm clock on Sunday too) and tempers fray.

And yet there is something glorious about the snow and ice, the cold that makes things crackle and break, the Christmas lights that adorn the streets, the way you forget about everything else except staying warm.

And so I'll curl up with my cider now and try not to muse any longer on what's broken, or only so long as it takes me to appreciate that I can meet my father and have him look at my knees and set me up with a new cell phone, that I can buy myself new headphones and an alarm clock, and remind myself that I can be bigger than some of the stuff that's gone wrong lately.