My band aid is not mine. If it were mine it would stay put when I applied it, it wouldn’t wrinkle or crinkle and fall off with ease.

But in truth my Band-Aid began to unstick within hours of application. Despite what the box advertised, it easily became unstuck. All it took was a small amount of water and the bandage began to come off in the shower.

At the very least, if this bandage were mine, it would protect me. It would do what I applied it to do, and keep my biopsy site dry in the shower. If the Band-Aid were mine it would honor my intention, my great act of adulting, my effort to follow the post surgery instructions to prevent infection. Instead, the bandage gave me a false sense of security, I stepped into the shower, braved the water and immediately ended up exposing my wound to contamination as the bandage began to crinkle and come off.

If the Band-Aid were mine I could order it to stay. I could depend on it to keep me safe. But precisely because the band aid failed to keep me safe, actually exposed me to danger –despite my effort and despite my invention — it is clearly not mine to claim or control.

Is the Band-Aid Constant or inconstant?

Clearly the Band-Aid is inconstant. it began as smooth and became crumpled. It started as dry and become wet. Its adhesiveness eroded and slipped off my body.

Is that which is inconstant easeful or stressful?

Clearly it is stressful: I counted on the bandaid to keep me dry and safe, when it failed to do so I became anxious of potential infection. I worried about how to shower going forward and stressed over if my remaining bandaids would work.