World-Weary Stare

Every morning during this first year I’ve posted a picture of her to Facebook and Instagram, but I've hesitated posting this one until now. She looks so world-weary here, which she of course she occasionally was. But she usually took that all on and pushed it back. She was a big smiler, with a genuine smile, because somehow she could always find something good to hold on to, at least for a moment.

I’d steal glances at her all the time. Usually during moments like the one I’ve captured here she'd eventually become aware that I was looking at her. Her eyes would suddenly refocus to the present world and then dart at me and we’d make eye contact, at which point she'd let a small secret smile form. A combination of "you caught me" and "thank you for catching me."

Then she’d look away, the moment broken.