Devil Diaries Daily 24th January

Dodging Stress Balls…

Dev Diaries Daily
January 24th

Today was Ant’s birthday, and we went out to a restaurant to mark it. Nothing grand. Just food, presence, and an effort to keep the day light. We were actively trying to avoid stress. That intention mattered, even if the universe didn’t quite cooperate.
The bench moved again.
Not mine. Ant’s neighbour’s. Same bench, same few inches, now blocking access to the gas and electric meters. A small, deliberate shift with real consequences. We didn’t touch it. We didn’t engage. Still, it lingered in the background like unfinished business. One of those things that insists on being felt even when ignored.
Then my father appeared at the restaurant. Or half-appeared. Turned up, hovered, changed his mind, left. What unsettled me wasn’t the indecision. It was seeing how much he’s slowed down. The hesitation. The reduced pace. Time showing itself without asking permission. That stayed with me longer than the moment itself.
We carried on with the day. Tried to keep it steady. Even sold a couple of steering wheels to CEX for Kai. Ordinary life stuff. Practical. Necessary. The kind of thing that reminds you you’re still moving forward even when the emotional weather is unsettled.
And yet, the stress followed us.
Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just enough to remind me that sometimes you can do everything right and still have to carry more than you planned.
What felt different was how I handled it. No spiralling. No fixing. No emotional overreach. Just awareness, restraint, and choosing not to let the day be swallowed whole.
Fire for showing up anyway.
Grace for holding celebration and strain in the same hands.
MissT ✍️