Summary

In "Ants," Macdonald sees a column of flying ants on her way back from the supermarket. Witnessing natural phenomena like this one makes her realize how "unbearably moving" nature and science are (55). Seeing the ants makes her realize how small she is in a vast universe.

In "Symptomatic," Macdonald describes her history of migraines. Though she always experiences an identifiable prodrome and postdrome phase, she always fails to see her migraines coming. A friend suggests her inability to predict the headaches might be another side effect. While the headaches afford her crippling pain, the postdrome period allows her to write. Eventually she finds a medication that helps alleviate the pain. She never knew there was such an obvious solution. She then compares this experience to climate change. "We're hard-wired to not be able to comprehend something so big and all-encompassing," making "it...