Putting the Normal Into Abnormal

Trey Smith

Yesterday was my first full day of living alone in this big house. When I went downstairs in the morning, there was a different vibe to everything. I went into my wife's bedroom and it was very obvious no one had slept there. Della phoned a few minutes later to tell me, among other things, that her new bed is not very comfortable!

Feeling a bit out of sorts, I decided that I needed to do something routine and normal. So, I made soup. I sat in my chair in the kitchen and cut up a wide assortment of veggies: parsnip, carrot, potato, leek, red bell pepper, acorn squash and some celery root. I also added a few mushrooms. I placed all these ingredients and an assortment of spices in the soup pot on the stove. In a matter of minutes, the aroma of soup filled the house.

The aroma of soup on the stove is a commonplace occurrence in our household and, consequently, it led me to feel a little less out of sorts. That's a good thing. I just need to remember that, even in abnormal circumstances, normal ways of doing things remain the same.