Mom said the irregularities got worse with age and so she carried a nail file everywhere. I think uneven nails was distracting for her. She’d remedy it right away with a quick file. I was surprised by how good it felt to scream. A snort in the car after a hike, just a post-workout grunt, would lapse right into a full-fledged scream. But always in the bubble of the car so I wouldn’t upset anyone. I understood what she meant by irregularities. Something was always off. We were like a cat constantly tweaked by a setting needing adjusted. People like that made for good editors. But when I walked in the forest nothing ever felt off. It’s like my attention got sucked into a beautiful vortex, it all drained away. It shouldn’t come as a surprise screaming could be therapeutic, rock singers made a career out of it. They said it could release endorphins and lower cortisol. A quick blast might lift your mood “but this is not a long-term solution.”
Categories: Creative Nonfiction, Errata, musings

Does swearing count?
I’ve never thought of it as an adjustment, well perhaps other than of my steam valve.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Steam valve yes. We do generate steam don’t we!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s an old Laura Nyro song about screaming in the car. Wonder if I can find it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nope.
LikeLike