it me x a thousand

Jill Lepore’s essay, The Lingering of Loss, is packed to the gills with ideas, as is always the case with Lepore. But it was especially nice to have this experience of mine expressed in the piece so precisely, without comment, as a quick aside:

Once, when I was walking home with a new baby strapped to my chest, my oldest son holding my hand and their brother squirming in a stroller whose underbelly was crammed with lunchboxes and library books, I ran into a colleague I adored. “Hey, how are you?” I asked. “So busy,” he said, shaking his head importantly. “So much to juggle.” He rushed past. I waved goodbye.

I’m proud to say that never once, never once, have I rebuked or even mildly chided this kind of statement coming my way. Because what’s the point? Either you know or you don’t. I always just smile and walk on.