Tables are a places for joyful connection, but also, often, discipline. Sit there until you finish your dinner. -  Don’t put your feet here, your elbows there. -  This table wasn’t made for you. – Here’s a pencil, you have 3 hours to prove your worth. I suppose that’s why these days writing comes easier on a couch or a chair, my 2 legs forming a surface free of the disciplining structures of 4 legs and a slab. Even with my shoulders hunched and stomach crunched, though, there’s a certain discipline in keeping my legs straight and flat. This week, I took to imagining slipping under the table, opening an other space. Crouching, hidden from view, freer to reach out to a hand, tickle a foot, or share a secret among friends. Would you like to join me there?

from Jessica Ruffin