I Folded Tiny Socks and Felt Ancient

Dear Delyara, There is something about small laundry that can make a whole life hit you at once. I was pairing socks, the tiny ones, and suddenly I felt tired in a way that had nothing to do with washing. More like I had been performing love through repetition for years and had only just noticed how much repetition costs when nobody says “you can stop now.” The socks were clean. The basket emptied. The feeling remained. I don’t think exhaustion always arrives through tragedy. Sometimes it arrives through domestic detail.