Heaven Adjacent

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

You can put any kind of judgment you want on the way you feel, but that won’t make it go away. Unfortunately you can’t insult your feelings out of existence. Trust me. People try all the time. If it worked, we’d know about it by now.”

The setting sun turned its clothes, especially the yellow shirt, a brilliant orange. Clothes that would slowly deteriorate in the weather, she realized. But maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe everything deteriorates in time, and maybe that doesn’t make it any less worth having while it lasts.