I used to pride myself on my ability to do many things at once. When I was younger, I tried to do them quickly. Brush my teeth and pee at the same time. Answer the phone while typing an email. Do the laundry, make my grocery list, and tell my kids they’ll be late for school. At work, I could

Many people have a passion for fishing. My stepfather was one of them. French Canadian, his English was rough but serviceable. I’d hear him whistling as he gathered his gear—poles, bucket, lures, bait, his baseball cap, and fishing vest. Oh yes, and a flask of his favorite whiskey. Happy for a day out on the canoe, skiff, or small motorboat.

There’s a shrub in my backyard that produced prolific blossoms this year. I counted eighty. At one point, the bush was so full of pink blossoms that it started to bow. I wondered if I needed to put a stake in the ground and tie some of the branches. But when I touched the shrub, the older flowers, the ones