I went to bed relieved that no one needed one more thing from me after 10 p.m.

Dear Delyara, It had not been an awful day. No disasters, no major conflict, no huge emotional scene. Just work, dinner, questions, one call with my sister, one child’s homework, one forgotten item, one extra load of washing, one husband asking a practical thing just as I sat down, one school message I didn’t need after 8 p.m. and had to read anyway. By the time the clock tipped past ten and no one called my name again, I felt grateful in a way that was almost embarrassing. I think some women live entire lives inside that feeling and barely name it. The gratitude when the world finally stops entering you for the night.