World 1

The upbeat tune of the alarm rang with an unnecessary urgency that startled Glen. Realising what it was, she reached out for her phone and swiped the snooze button. She screwed her eyes tightly shut, trying to recapture slumber, though knowing it would not come. She’d fallen asleep late the night before, tossing and turning while contemplating the many meetings and deadlines she faced. She was bone tired, sweaty and didn’t want to face up to the day ahead. She was sure to muck something up on what would undoubtedly be a tough day.

When her alarm rang again, she avoided the temptation of snoozing and instead went online to see what was going on in the world. “Oh my!” she exclaimed to herself as she learnt of terrible happenings that had rocked the world while she slept. She felt despondent about the state of the world. If it wasn’t politics, it was environmental disasters, or something else. Earth would certainly be better off without the human population. She turned to her work email and took some time to answer an easy query as well as contemplate a problem that had cropped up.

When she eventually got out of bed, she needed to move quickly to get ready for work. In her haste, she banged her knee against the night stand. She cursed the mountains and seas under her breath, wincing at the pain and glaring at the night stand as though it had deliberately arisen out of nowhere. “It’s always something!” she snapped.

Jumping into the freezing shower, she cursed the fact that she hadn’t had the time to call in maintenance to see what was wrong. She understood that cold water was good for you, but didn’t much give a damn. Rushing not to get hypothermia, she mentally went through her day as she got through the rest of her toilette. She didn’t really know how or why she’d taken on so many tasks. The work just kept piling even though her colleagues never seemed to have half as much to do.

She never knew what to wear even though her wardrobe was over-flowing with outfits. It was her odd body – nothing ever seemed to really fit well. She decided on the one outfit that always seemed to work – a white cotton shirt and grey polyester pants that made her feel presentable – and dressed quickly.

As always, she was running late. She dashed into the kitchen intending to make a quick cup of instant coffee, and smack banged her head against a cabinet door. She cursed the heavens and hell as she rubbed her forehead and waited for the pain to subside. Seriously, her home was a health hazard! “Who leaves cabinet doors standing ajar?!” she shouted at herself. “You’re such a blasted lost cause!”. She hoped she wouldn’t get an unsightly bump.

She decided she’d grab a coffee and doughnut on the way. The idea of the magical sweet sticky frosting of the pastries from the local café brought a rush of anticipatory wetness in her mouth and she smiled. They were fresh every morning and you could smell the yumminess from far away! Maybe she’d have two today to make up for her woes, she thought. She could certainly use the energy! Were three too many?

She packed a spare shirt in her tote bag. “I can’t keep a white shirt clean to save my life,” she chuckled to herself, fully expecting to pour her morning coffee down her front. Things like that always seemed to happen to her. The fit of her backup navy jersey top wasn’t all that great, but it would have to do.

As she made for the door, heading for the bus stop, she tried to ignore the mess that was piling up around her. She needed to clean her home and put things away. Her doorway looked like the scene of an accident and the smell of the trash that needed to be taken out was getting increasingly worrying everyday as it spread through her home. She’d attend to the domestics when she had the time. First, she needs to survive this day.

“How did my life end up like this?” she mused to herself as she slipped into her everyday black loafers, banged the door shut behind her and broke into a run.

World 2

In a different, yet all but identical world, the same Glen woke up on the very same day and at the same time.

She woke up with a feeling of gratitude for the comfort of her bed. She had invested in high quality bed sheets and loved the luxurious feeling they gave. She felt like royalty rolling around in bed and had kept a window cracked open in case it got too hot. She’d gotten 8 hours of restful sleep and was eager to uncover the wonders of the day ahead.

She’d recently bought a night stand that greatly excited her. Sitting up, she switched on the lamp that sat on top of it, and took a minute to admire its fine workmanship with a smile. It was an exquisite old wooden piece she’d picked up at a local market. She’d been drawn to it by the oriental design and the odd shade of teal painted over the wood. She told herself that that was her antique collection and laughed. She took in a deep breath, took a moment to center herself, and got out of bed.

She’d picked up the habit of getting a quick run on her treadmill every morning followed by some yoga stretches. It was nothing dramatic and took only 20 minutes, but she’d noticed that the effect it had on her mood was dramatic. She felt much more energized after picking up this routine and things troubled her less.

On her way to the shower, she picked out a silk button down ivory shirt, tailored navy wool pants and a pair of black heels to wear for the day. She chose simple gold earrings, a subtle gold bracelet and a black leather belt she knew would go well with her black leather bag. She felt unstoppable in that outfit. For the fun of it, she decided to pick out a pair of sexy lingerie to go under. She’d noticed that this made her playful and silly in a way that added some extra spice to her day. She smiled mischievously as she picked out her most provocative black set.

The previous year, she’d gone through an activity where she’d considered how every item in her wardrobe made her feel. Anything that made her feel less than her best, she’d discarded. It had been difficult letting go of well loved pieces that hadn’t made the cut, but she only wanted clothes that made her feel energized. She’d picked up new pieces to replace what had gone, only choosing items that felt right.

Back to the present, she took her time getting ready. She took in the feel of the warm water in the shower as it ran over her curves. She slowly lathered on the fragrant, lemongrass scented shower mousse she’d bought on a trip overseas. She shut her eyes, loving the luxurious creamy feel of the lather on her skin and felt like a goddess treated to the very best. She imagined that the water washed away any and all negativity that she may have carried within her from the day before.

She thanked her skin for being so protective of her as she spread light lotion over it. “You’re beautiful,” she said to herself as she revelled in the colour and texture of her skin. Turning her attention to her face in the mirror, she repeated this sentiment as she looked deeply into her own eyes. “I’m beautiful. I’m worthy. I am enough.” 

She still could not believe that she got to wear the stunningly intoxicating perfume that she’d only gotten the week before. It was by chance that she’d come across it and had become enthralled. It was only available in the small town of Èze in the south of France, made by a boutique family owned perfumery. When her amazing friend Linda had presented it to her as a gift out of the blue after her trip to France, she’d known it was the universe looking out for her. She’d never mentioned her near obsession with the perfume to Linda. Now she felt so lucky, special and loved whenever she sprayed the beautiful floral based fragrance on her skin. She also carried a deep confidence in her day that came from knowing that she smelled great.

After she finished her breakfast of natural yoghurt, nuts and cup of green tea, she considered her day ahead. There were a number of things that had come up for her to tackle, but she’d organised her schedule to only include what she felt was reasonable and within her area of excellence. She’d firmly pushed back on the declarations that the sky would fall on their heads if a particular item of work were not concluded that week. Her energy and peace of mind were too precious for her to over-extend herself.

When the cab she had called arrived, she headed for the door, excited about the day ahead. She was sure it was going to be great and felt so lucky that she got to live the life she did.