Awhile back I couldn’t find my left AirPod. One thing about me is that my headphones are like a lifeline. They’re how I move through the world on days where existing feels heavier. They give me a bit of cushion from the noise, a way to keep going even when I’m just at home. When I couldn’t find it, I ordered a cheap twenty-dollar pair to hold me over. I really hoped the brand wouldn’t matter. Wrong. Turns out, I can’t deviate from the AirPod. Anyway, the mystery was solved wh

The kind of ending that doesn’t close a chapter — it rewrites the whole book. The Shock I still remember the way the air changed the moment I saw her name in my inbox. No preparation. No warning. Just a few lines that split me open. There are certain moments that don’t just happen — they rearrange you. Her email did that. One moment I had a tether, and the next, it was gone. I didn’t even know a few sentences could do that — make the room tilt, make your own name sound foreig