Monday, May 8, 2023

Touch Glass

 


Nowadays, when burnt out people are looking for an offline reprieve, they stick their toes between blades of uncut grass in parks, lawns, and tufts. I’m here to tell you that does next to nothing for the active mind and less for the active body. 


Want to come back down to earth and reduce your screentime? Then you should really consider touching glass instead. 


In my patch of urban paradise, each day I awake to the glistening sparkle of shattered chards running the length of the block, as well as the length of my foot. For some in rural America, the sound of a rooster crowing or the sight of dew dripping down a leaf marks the morning. Not here. 


Here, a new day commences only when a driver’s side window is pulverized into a million tiny pieces. If you're lucky, you'll be dodging bits of car stereo as well. 


After a long day of clicking, baiting, and scrolling, I desperately need to feel the raw power of a broken Heineken bottle deep in my sole. I pace the sidewalk, taking it all in, sometimes to the point of walking into the ER. Okay, so maybe not quite walking in, but more hobbling in. Either way, you get the jagged point.


Overwhelmed by the news? That's nothing a quarter inch of glass penetrating your heel can't fix.  


What people have come to accept about the restorative qualities of grass is wrong. Grass is full of bugs and dirt. It stains denim unlike much else. Glass on the other hand, allows you to literally reflect on your life as you go over your foot with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass (preferably one that’s still intact). You can see yourself in each shard. This is a meditative state that also gives you the chance to check on the gauze in your medicine cabinet. Something that’s probably gone untouched for years. So now’s your chance to touch it. 


Go forth, touch glass, and keep hydrogen peroxide close by. 

No comments:

Post a Comment