Thankful.

Morning didn’t crack like a whip. No clock barking orders, no quiet panic, no asking my child to shrink herself. No game of “mouse mode mama is on a call” before I could even hold her in my arms. The nervous system loosened its grip.

We let the sun find us. Walked to the market like explorers with no hurry, cobble stone warm, hands sticky from natal sweetness.

Before I plugged myself into the humming machine of the day, before lessons and screens and small separations, she leaned in and whispered “I love you mommy”

While the world asks us to clock in, I must remember presence is far more rewarding than productivity. Tune in.