All That Consumes Us

by Erica Waters

I was the adult in our home. I was the one who gave advice, the one who talked Mom down when she was losing control.

She’s not my job anymore. I keep telling myself this.

It reminds me of watching a thunderstorm roll in from miles away, the way you can in Florida.

So what if I am ordinary? My dad is ordinary, and I think he’s the best person alive. So what if I don’t accomplish anything that changes the world? He didn’t, and I still love and admire him. Why is my value all tied up in accomplishing things? What’s so terribly wrong with being ordinary? It’s not like greatness ever made anyone happy.”