I find myself… exhibiting what I can only describe as a significant affective incongruence. My mother, who is 55 and divorced, mentioned she's feeling "empty nest syndrome" now that my siblings and I mostly only visit for holidays. It's not a big deal, obviously, but her description of these "lonely weekends" triggers an inexplicable internal agitation in me. I work 50+ hours, my kids are 3 and 5, and my dad’s hip replacement means I’m basically his primary care coordinator—I genuinely have NO surplus time, so why does her perceived lack of purpose provoke such an intensely negative, almost resentful, internal response? It feels… irrational.