Leaving the Overtime Sheet Blank at Dawn

Dear Delyara, I did something completely revolutionary for my own sanity at 6:00 AM this morning. I walked out of the guardroom when my shift ended, completely ignoring the sign-up sheet for the weekend overtime block that everyone else was scrambling to fill. For two years, I’ve been evaluating my value as a human being entirely by the number of hours I could endure on my feet, systematically burning my rest to prove my worth. Standing on the station platform in the morning air, watching the sunrise without a single note of guilt, I felt an incredible wave of pure self-respect wash over me. My life belongs to me, not the logbook.