Nothing Personal

Nothing had changed
Yet everything was different.
The house was
As messy as usual
Even though she had
Cleaned it the day before.
The kids were running around
Screaming like maniacs,
Yelling at each other
As if they were both
Hard of hearing.
Her husband was
The same oaf
He had always been,
Nestled in his Lazy Boy,
Watching TV,
Trying to ignore the kids
As well as her.
Her work had not changed.
Her boss was still
A nervous breakdown
Waiting to happen,
And her coworkers
Continued to gossip
Back and forth,
Spreading the office poison.
The traffic coming home
Was as bad
As it had ever been,
Slowed by rubber-neckers
Gawking at an accident.
All of these things
Would normally have
Driven her up the wall,
But today she simply
Took them in stride
And didn’t let any of them
Bother her.
She had always taken
Such things
As if they were
Personally directed at her,
And would snarl
At the world in return.
It finally dawned on her
That nothing could be
Further from the truth,
And that revelation
Transformed the quality
Of her life.