An afternoon eclipse

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My real world has just been eclipsed. By peace and quiet.
One child in school, one asleep on the couch, and one off at the park with a friend. I changed a load of laundry without anyone bothering me and I even sat down at this here computer without yelling at anyone to leave me alone.
There's reheated coffee on my desk and the house is so silent that I can hear the trains and the birds outside.
This is all cause for a moment of pause, a deep breath, a smile, and a head shake. For as wonderful as this feels now, I'm pretty sure that in a few years time I'll be begging for the noises again and wondering why the birds are so loud.

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