Point of Balance

I left the apartment behind, navigating down the exterior fire escape until my feet met the coarse gravel of the ground-level garden. The terrain demanded far sharper focus than polished floorboards. Beside a weathered planter, I found three jagged slate pebbles and decided to test my control. The first stone served as an anchor; the second wobbled erratically until I adjusted its pivot by a millimeter. Setting the smallest stone atop the apex required absolute stillness. When I withdrew my hands, the stack held completely motionless against the passing breeze. Discipline can impose order onto even the most chaotic stone.