Marcus noticed people running off to the coast or the mountains for peace, and reminded himself he could retreat into his own mind any moment he chose. He called it a kind of inner home you carry everywhere. The world can be loud, demanding, full of things you can't control. But there's a still room inside you that none of it can enter without your permission. You reach it not by escaping your life but by remembering you have it, by stepping back from the noise for a breath. This isn't shutting people out or going numb. It's knowing that your center doesn't have to move just because the surface is stormy. The quiet is always there to return to.

Inspired by the old idea of the inner retreat. Written by Ugo Charles.