A quiet morning routine

The first hour of the day sets the pace for the rest of it. Mine is simple, and it has not changed in two years.

Coffee first

One cup, made by hand. It takes five minutes, and I do not look at a screen while the water heats.

A short walk

Ten minutes outside, in any weather. The walk is not exercise. It is time to think before anyone asks me anything.

One page of notes

Back at the table, I write one page. Plans, worries, a line I heard on the radio. Nobody reads it, and that is the point.

A slow start is not a late start.

That is all. The rest of the day can be as loud as it wants.