AFTER HOURS
Twenty minutes, eyes closed.
Work is finished. The screen is still open.
There is often a second shift after work: a few messages, the news, one more thing to look up. The laptop closes and the phone takes its place. The evening has begun, but our eyes are still at work.
After Hours begins with putting that screen down. Take another seat, with somewhere to rest your arms. Close your eyes if you wish. There is no instruction to keep checking and no need to get your breathing right.
A door may close in the hallway. A car passes outside. These ordinary sounds can stay. We have left the timer silent, including its ending, so the room does not need to change around you.
When you return to the page, the elapsed time is there. Dinner, a book, or the rest of the evening can follow.