Unread at 2:17 PM

At 2:17 PM, my phone was full of messages I hadn’t answered yet.

Not because I didn’t care. Not because I was ignoring anyone. I just didn’t have the energy to keep switching between work, responsibilities, conversations, and the version of myself everyone expects to see.

There were deadlines waiting, notifications popping up, and a hundred little things asking for my attention. I kept telling myself, “I’ll deal with it later.”

Later became evening.

Evening became tomorrow.

And somehow, tomorrow always brought something new.

The strange thing is, I can reply to everyone else even when I’m exhausted. I can finish tasks when I don’t feel like working. I can keep showing up when my motivation disappears.

But when it comes to checking in with myself, my message somehow stays unread.

Maybe I’ve become too good at functioning while tired.

Maybe I don’t need another reminder to work harder. Maybe I just need one quiet moment where nobody expects anything from me.

For now, the notifications can wait.

Maybe I can too.