It’s a day so unlike any other recently:  it’s quiet.

There is no one else in the house for a few hours today.  Everyone is out and doing their own thing.

We’ve had months now where my office has felt full—of noise, of my own children, of people doing work-from-home of some sort.  I love having them all here, and I really do enjoy my offspring.  At the same time, it splits my attention.  Have they finished the on-line school work?  What are they doing now?  Should I interfere, and make sure that they are on track?  Or let them just be?  How many hours of screen time is reasonable in this situation anyway?

All those questions are gone now.  School is done… and limited numbers of friends are permitted again.  They into a somewhat muted summer mode, but definitely it’s a more carefree feeling around here right now.

The silver lining for me is remembering what it is like to be able to fully concentrate on my own work, and only my own stuff.  Who knew that concentration could be such bliss?