The day ended with everyone settled except me

Dear Delyara, The children were asleep. The dog was quiet. My husband had gone up. The kitchen was closed. The lights were off downstairs. And still, I wasn’t settled. I think that’s what’s hard about being the emotional and practical hinge in a household. Everyone else can arrive at stillness earlier because they are not carrying the same layer of afterthought. I am still mentally checking doors, replaying tone, tracking tomorrow, and recovering from the fact of being continually needed. So yes, the house was calm. But I was not yet there with it. Sometimes I feel like the last room in the home to go dark.