It’s the day before Thanksgiving, which means the whole world smells faintly of pie crust and panic. The lists are long, the stores are crowded, and your family group chat has hit that point where everyone’s feelings start to sparkle like faulty Christmas lights.

When people arrive, they won’t remember whether you vacuumed. They’ll remember that your house smelled like peace, like real life lit gently from within.

There is a moment in every workday when the air goes still.The cursor blinks, the phone hums, and the light slants across the desk in that tired, late-afternoon way. You lift your head and realize your breath has been shallow for hours.