Alex and Claire | The Wrong End of Better

TEXT THREAD

Alex:
I finished three big tasks today.
And somehow it still feels like I missed the important thing.

Claire:
Productivity is great at awarding the wrong trophies.

Alex:
Should I be aiming for participation medals instead?

Claire:
Maybe aim at what matters
and see what kind of medal shows up later.

Alex:
That sounds like you have tried it.

Claire:
Tried. Failed. Tried again.
Turns out effort can camouflage ego.

Alex:
That feels too accurate.
Can we go back to jokes?

Claire:
We can.
But you asked a real question.

Alex:
Fine.
Why does getting things done feel less like purpose
and more like running on a moving walkway?

Claire:
Because speed is not the same as direction.

EMAIL
Subject: wrong end of better

Claire —

I had a strange moment today.
I was doing something that looked helpful
felt necessary
earned applause

and halfway through it I realized
I did not actually care about the result.

It is like I keep saying yes
to things that look good on a résumé
but steal attention
from things that feel true on a Tuesday.

How do I keep ending up
on the wrong end of my own priorities?

— A

Claire → Alex
Re: wrong end of better

Alex —

There is a kind of devotion
that steals from better devotion.

Sometimes we chase what seems worthy
only to find out it was simply familiar
or flattering.

The hardest part is noticing
when good work starts borrowing from better loves.

I wish I had seen that sooner in my own story.

C

TEXT THREAD

Alex:
That line you wrote
did you just… come up with it?

Claire:
No.
It came back to me from somewhere.

Alex:
From where?

Claire:
I cannot remember exactly.
I think it came from a letter.
Something about choosing the better thing
even when other good things call your name.

Alex:
That sounds like someone wiser than me wrote it.

Claire:
Maybe
but you are the one who noticed it.

Alex:
Now I am curious.
If you ever remember the whole quote
send it my way?

Claire:
I will.
It helped me once.
It might help you too.

Claire — Late Evening

She scrolled through old notes
but nothing surfaced
except the ache that told her she had learned that truth
the harder way than she meant to.

There is wisdom that arrives gently
and wisdom that arrives
after something precious has been neglected or misused.

She hoped Alex could learn the gentle kind.