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Listen Real Close So You Can Hear it All

Welcome to "Overheard," a new feature of Julie's Pod

Julie Lythcott-Haims

Feb 11
2

I pay attention to small snippets of language swirling in the air around me. I take these bits into my brain and heart and weave them together to see what clues they might offer about how my fam and I are doing, in the aggregate.

So, today I'm experimenting with something new in Julie's Pod called "Overheard" which features language snippets in free verse. Today's snippet topics range from animal noises to broken appliances; grown kids and aging moms; trysts, taxes, grocery shopping, and migraines; and a little thing called our relationship. Without further ado, overheard in my house recently...

_____

Shit I overslept

I couldn’t sleep

wshooo! wshooo! wshooo!

That noise

It's your mom, the crows are back

No, it was this awful wailing

Her washing machine should finally come in this week

We need a chicken

I think it’s a cat.

***

Your phone buzzed

The dishwasher’s backordered

It's your mom

I think it’s in heat

How long?

Did you hear that

What, my mom?

One of us needs to go shopping

The dishwasher, it’s backordered ten months

It’s like a small child saying a long drawn out "ow"

***

I'm going to the store

I need to get with my mom

Wait, how long?

Is it in heat or is it fighting

Can they get us a loaner?

No wait mom, don’t open that email

I need your 1099s

I’ll come over and walk you through it

Did you get paid for that yet

They don’t “have your number” it’s just spam.

***\

Shit I meant to get chicken

There are two cats in some kind of I don’t know what to call it in the yard

He's still home?

I thought we might

We could

Yeah but he’s

I think he’s going out

I need to take this, it’s my mom

I’m going over to mom’s

She needs

Avery texted me

My mom?

My mom

Oh, your mom

How is she?

We FaceTimed on the way back to her dorm

But I wanted to FaceTime

I thought you were on a call

***

Can I come in

Are you on a call

I just took a migraine pill

I’ll make chicken

Oh my god that fucking cat

I thought we already had chicken

If he goes out tonight we could

Didn’t you see my text when you were at the store.

***

Are you home

Yes

The washing machine doesn't fit

Why didn't you tell me you were home

I didn't want to bug you

It's just the last time you talked to your therapist it turned into a thing and I've been worried for hours

We have to take off the closet doors

She’s going to sew curtains for it.

***

Did he leave

I think so

Are you sure

Yes

***

Wait. I just heard something downstairs, can you check?

_____

And there you have it. The word of the day, for reasons that I think are obvious, is “caterwauling.” 🙀 If you feel like sharing some language from your life, please comment below or wherever you're reading this!

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🤎 Let's leave the caterwauling to the cats and go for direct and honest communication with one another!

© 2021-22 Love Over Time LLC All Rights Reserved

📸 Cover Photo Credit: Getty Images/C.J. Burton/The Image Bank

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2 Comments

  • Mary Stoikes Indritz
    Reminds me of how I miss the eavesdropping during the dining out experience...
    • 4w
  • Yukun Wu
    Hmm...What you have recorded are not what you've said throughout the day, but what the people in your household and around where you live have said throughout the day. Is that right, Julie?
    • 10w
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