Dan Hawkes

https://open.substack.com/pub/willowtreetherapy/p/for-when-you-feel-like-the-entire?r=5yda68&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=card

There was a man who checked the time constantly. When he woke up, the first thing he did was look at the clock. If it was “too late”, his chest tightened. If it was “too early”, he felt pressure to get moving. His whole day was ruled by numbers. 8:00 – start 9:30 – catch up 12:00 – should be here by now 5:00 – should be done If he fell behind, he felt like he was failing. If he rested, he felt guilty. If something unexpected happened, the day felt ruined. Over time, the clock stopped being a...

Every night before going to bed, the man checked the door. Once would have been enough. But once never felt enough. He checked the lock. Then the handle. Then the window beside it. Then the lock again. Sometimes he stood there for minutes, staring at the door as if it might suddenly betray him the moment he turned his back. He told himself it was sensible. That the world wasn’t safe. That you couldn’t be too careful. But the truth was quieter than that. The door wasn’t the problem. What He...