The calming lilacs of the South End
Hannah was having trouble concentrating, getting settled, in her yoga class. But then came her walk home:
... And as I turned down Shawmut, the lingering smell of lilacs suddenly wafted over me. I stopped, throwing my head back and breathing deeply, eyes closed, heart pounding, a smile spreading across my face. I thought of my father's lilac bushes at home and missed him, terribly. I thought how I was proud of myself for finishing that wacky yoga class. I thought how I've allowed loneliness to creep back in, just a little, like the thin thread of a weed trying to break through brick. I thought how lucky I am for moments like this, moments in which I am alone, yes, but also aware, alive, content, even if life confuses me.
The smell of those lilacs followed me down Shawmut and fed me, like supper, like a calm, yoga stillness, like a sweet, sweet taste of home. ...
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