Dear Diary: Hard Earned Break

Dear Diary,

The screen's glow fades as I lean back, cold orange drink cooling in my hand like a sigh after the storm. Just us, Diary—no deadlines, no ghosts.

Seven hours, over 10,000 words humanized from cold robotic text to breathing prose, lines that hook and hum with life I breathed into them.

And then the message: "Hey, take a break if you haven't yet." From my boss, no less—simple words that land like a pat on the back I didn't know I craved.

No "try harder," no pity; just seen, valued, enough. The grind eases, shoulders drop, and for this moment, the world's not a cage—it's a pause I earned, fingers still tingling from the keys, mind free to wander wild.

Despite how hard my work is... deep inside I feel like a happy child. I'm so thankful this company allowed me to work with them.

Breaks like this... they recharge without stealing the fire.

El Jaquio