Gemotions

The news landed like a punch to the gut. I was standing in the living room, listening to my daughter explain her decision to become a Wiccan. All the carefully curated memories of childhood, her first steps, her school plays, everything, seemed to suddenly pale in comparison.

Her words, filled with talk of deities and rituals, were a foreign language. My face felt hot. My hands were shaking. I closed my eyes, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. The room felt like it was spinning.

When I opened them, I found myself walking away, needing to escape. I needed air. I needed to be alone. I retreated to the garden, the silence of the blossoming roses offering a small semblance of peace, yet the feeling of unsettlement remained.