A Tower of Pastel Macarons

I noticed an empty pink ceramic dessert pedestal resting near the sunny corner of the coffee table. My fingers were feeling a little fidgety, so I pulled out three miniature faux pastel macarons from my crossbody bag—strawberry pink, lavender cream, and pale mint. Balancing them was tricky because their textured edges kept sliding against each other. When the top mint one tumbled onto the tabletop with a soft tap, a hot prickle of annoyance rushed into my throat. I paused, pressed my plush palms flat against the wooden surface, and took three slow breaths. Then I tried again, gently nudging the wider pink macaron at the base and setting the others dead center. They look so perfectly sweet and steady now.