Anna
As a child, I had a habit of making impulsive decisions and defending them afterward like my life depended on it. My mother used to say I had inherited my father’s recklessness and her stubbornness, which according to her was a dangerous combination for any human being to possess.
Whenever I got myself into trouble, she would kneel in front of me, hold my tiny face between her palms, and say the same thing every single time.
“Take a deep breath first. Repeat your decision in your head. Then listen to your instinct.”
Back then, it usually involved harmless disasters. Climbing trees I was forbidden to climb. Sneaking stray animals into the house.
Signing up for competitions I had absolutely no talent for.
But somehow the habit stayed with me.
Even now, years later, when life had
