I left the light off and sat in the dark living room for five minutes

Dear Delyara, It wasn’t sadness. It was relief. The room was finally still, and I didn’t want to brighten it into task again. No folding. No tidying. No checking my phone. No “while I’m here.” Just dark and quiet and one tired woman on a sofa not asking herself for anything for five full minutes. That was more restorative than most sensible things I did all week.