Inklings 2025

He couldn’t even lift the glass of water in front of him, and to prove his point, he made a weak attempt to raise it but failed. He said it all lightly, and with a wave, walked away. My grandpa and I sat in stunned silence. The weight of it all hung in the air, unspoken. After a moment, the absurdity of the situation caught up to me, and in my youthful immaturity, I laughed. I even managed to make my grandpa chuckle. But for the rest of the lunch, and for years afterward, we would revisit that moment. It was a lesson neither of us needed to speak aloud, but it echoed between us all the same. Now, whenever life feels overwhelming, I find myself looking at the glass in front of me—and I lift it. 32