Gemotions

The smell of incense filled the air, a scent that now seemed alien and unwelcome to Sarah. Her daughter, Emily, had been ecstatic about her conversion to Buddhism, explaining the Eightfold Path with a gentle patience that felt like a rebuke. Sarah, however, remained rooted in her own traditions, in a life she thought she understood.

She sat on the edge of her daughter's bed, the room stripped of everything familiar, and stared at the framed artwork of Buddha. She fiddled with the beaded necklace she’d bought for Emily's birthday – a string of pearls. It suddenly felt heavy, symbolic of something she couldn't name. She imagined Emily, meditating peacefully in a temple, while she was here, feeling… adrift.