After a terrible night's sleep, two rows, and one missed turnoff, we arrived in Galway this afternoon, fractious and dyspeptic. I immediately met R at a cafe. She is 6 weeks away from giving birth, with barely a bump. We caught up over tea, and afterwards we went to yoga. Out of my yoga coterie, 3 of us got pregnant last year. Aside from K, 2 are over 40, so it gives me hope.

Still, in the back of my head, I wonder if any of this--civilisation!--will be here 20 years from now. Is it worth it, to care? To bring into being a child who will inherit a terrible world? I think we're on the verge of catastrophe, and I don't know if I'll ever change my mind about that.

Anyways, I will try to enjoy my 3 days in the city I once loved so much. I plan to thrift, attend yoga every morning, go bookshopping, have coffee or wine with my favorite people. Walk along the canal and see if any swans have started nesting. Watch the river rushing into the estuary. Contemplate the long silvery spine of the Burren across the bay. To think, it's been a year since I moved. So much has changed. I have changed so much.

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