The Kettle Boiled While I Stared at Nothing

Dear Delyara, This morning the kettle clicked off and I realised I had been standing in the kitchen doing absolutely nothing for several seconds. Not resting. Not thinking clearly. Just paused. The toast was ready, one lunchbox still needed fruit, and I had not yet found the school jumper someone swore had been left “right there” last night. Still, for those few seconds, my body simply stopped. I think this is one of the quieter signs of tiredness in me now. Not collapse. Not drama. Just the strange small freezes that happen when life keeps arriving before I have fully finished receiving the previous part of it. Then I poured the tea and carried on, like women do.