I enjoy the domestic tranquility of a momentarily empty house. It doesn’t happen very often, so when it does, it can feel like a gift from the universe. My thoughts have room to move around. R has flown to Spain to get some sun. B is out with her friends. I imagine them laughing and telling each other secrets. J is airport-bound, gearing up for a transatlantic journey back to the States. So it’s just me and the cats, tucked into a pocket of time listening to the light drizzle against the window pane.

Sometimes the best times are when we let ourselves breathe in the empty space.