Soft Quiet

The soft hiss of our office air purifier is lulling me to sleep. Like the tranquility of 3pm sunlight in late June, the cool breeze on a porch swing, a book of Wordsworth.

I have no motivation to gear up for 8th period. My squirrelly kids will try to drain me today, and I will let them. They will come in expecting me to be a cooling salve for adolescent drama. But today, I focus on me. Today, I will run. I will read. I will write. I will pick up my exhausted puppy, and we will ride home together with the windows open to feel the fresh afternoon air cleanse our day. He will rest his tired head on the window sill, squinting at the fading sunlight, sleeping to the soft rock of the car and the constant breeze. We will ride home in peaceful silence, knowing the day's labor is behind us.