What My Broken Air Conditioner Taught Me About Control

When my AC broke, so did my illusion of control. Sometimes it takes a heatwave to reveal the meltdown you didn’t know you were holding back.

It started with a wheeze. A low, sputtering sigh that I initially mistook for my own spirit giving up. But no—it was the air conditioner. That faithful, humming box of freon and filtered promises that had stood by me through arguments, deadlines, 108-degree afternoons, and that one week I tried intermittent fasting and nearly passed out.

I poked it.
I beg…