I wanted someone else to hold the mood of the room

Dear Delyara, I was tired of being the one who senses everything first today. The tension. The awkwardness. The emotional shift. The person trying too hard. The person saying too little. The practical issue becoming emotional. All of it. I know sensitivity can be a gift. I also know it can feel like unpaid labor when everyone around you seems content to let you be the one who notices and adjusts. By evening I felt like I had been carrying atmospheres, not just conversations. I wanted someone else to read the room for once.