The warm sheets soothe my skin while the cool summer breeze keeps my temperature stable. Lying awake through the earliest hours, I await the sound of birds chirping and cars buzzing.

Slightly sick, yet fully able, I walk to my car and drive with no end in sight, endless miles beckoning in front of me. Birds overhead fly along with me. The sun rising over the buildings hits my skin, warms my senses. The familiar songs on the radio retrace my fondest memories.

As the chorus strikes, I’m filled with a feeling I’ve never felt before.

The birds settle on a distant building, eager for a day’s worth of flight. Openness. Adventure. Freedom.

I pull over to the side of the street, wedging into an empty spot, and roll down my windows. Turning the key left, the engine dies with the sounds of those familiar songs. I tilt my head back and listen.

I listen to the cars, the birds, the early yawns, the sirens.

And I smile. I’m broke, I’m battered. I’m lonely, I’m lost.

But I’m alive.