I wanted the silence to arrive before the tiredness got sharp

Dear Delyara, Sometimes if the quiet comes early enough, I can still be gentle. If it comes too late, tiredness turns sharp first. The world gets louder, other people feel closer than I want them to, and even small things begin arriving with rough edges. I think tonight I was racing that line. I turned the lights down earlier. Ignored a few things sooner. Let the room get quieter before I got meaner inside myself. That felt wise. Maybe wiser than trying to “push through” one more hour.