I wake up already exhausted. The light pushes through the shades, thin, intrusive, insistent, demanding my presence as if I have somewhere meaningful to be. But it is not a gentle invitation into something bright or alive. It is not warmth. It is not possibility. It is a reset. Another day in purgatory. It pulls me out of sleep without mercy, placing the full weight of my life back into my chest before I’ve even had the chance to take a full breath. Before I can gather myself