5:27

I used to set my alarm
only to even numbers.

6:30.
7:00.
7:15.

For some reason,
I believed
the day would begin better
if even the numbers
were in order.

As if I could
outsmart life's chaos
by making sure
at least my mornings
started neatly.

Today,
my alarm is set
to 6:37.

Sometimes 7:12.
Sometimes
I forget to set it
at all.

And every time
I notice those uneven numbers,
I smile.

Not because
they're prettier.

But because
they remind me
that I've stopped
trying to control everything.

I used to think
order meant safety.

Now I know
life doesn't care
whether your alarm
goes off at an even time.

It still arrives
too early.
Or too late.
It still catches you off guard
just when you think
you've finally figured it out.

Maybe
that's what growing up
really is.

Learning
that not everything
has to be perfectly aligned
to be right.

That 6:37
can be just as meaningful
as 6:30.

And that some of life's
most beautiful mornings
begin
the moment
you stop trying
to straighten everything
that was never meant
to be straight.