I Let the Wind Hit My Face Before Looking at My Phone

Dear Delyara, It was 6:18 a.m. The sky was gray. The trash can was still at the curb. The grass was wet enough to make my slippers damp. I stepped outside before checking my messages. That one decision felt almost rebellious. Because usually I let the day in through a screen first — work, school, money, headlines, other people’s emergencies already crawling into my body before I’ve even had one clean thought of my own. This morning I let the weather get there first. The cold air hit my face so honestly it made me feel like I’d been half-asleep for months. I stood there longer than I meant to and let the quiet reach me before obligation could. I want more mornings that begin with air instead of panic.