SLIDING

There’s no longer any denying that fall is in full swing. 2 sugar beets by the side of the road: the definitive sign of autumn. The sugar beet factory is lit up and the chimneys are roaring. There’s a chill in the air, but when the wind isn’t blowing, it’s the perfect temperature where sweaters are nice but not necessary. There is this long slope ahead of me, down which I am skating, and I feel I’m doing slalom around each of the obstacles in my path. Each thing on my to-do list, each appointment, each commitment is a barrier,...