The first morning

A city you arrived in after dark is a different place by daylight. The street that felt endless from the taxi is two blocks. The café you couldn't find is right there. For the first morning, nothing is where your tired brain filed it the night before, and every errand takes a wrong turn.

I've learned to give that first morning no agenda at all — just a slow walk in one direction and back. By the second day the map in your head and the map on the ground finally agree, and the place becomes legible.