Member-only story
Why Your Experiences Don’t Need to be Understood by Anyone But You
The obsessive need for validation from others will destroy you.
Joe woke up the other morning with great intentions. He’s been doing everything right.
He gets up consistently at 3.30 am every morning. He makes his warm lemon water, sits on the floor of his studio apartment, and sips it in silence while trying to take slow, deep breaths while he clears the clutter from his mind.
Once the lemon water is gone, he prepares his green tea. While steeping, he goes to the restroom, washes his face, and brushes his teeth. He avoids the mirror at all costs; his reflection tortures him.
He grabs his tea and drops a few ice cubes in it. He loves to torture himself but not by burning his tongue, in other ways.
Most mornings, he grabs his keys and is out the door by 3.58 am. He usually has a few blocks walk to his car; he walks anxiously as he lives in the city, and at that time, less desirable people can be roaming.
Joe is a master of disguises. Something about the city’s early morning silence and dead feeling appeals to him; he doesn’t know why. He puts his game face on and off to work.
