The living room had grown familiar. I moved past the kitchen floorboards and squeezed through the gap of the sliding screen door. Cool morning air met me immediately. Under my boots, the balcony concrete was coarse and cold. A large terracotta planter blocked the outer edge, its baked clay surface rough and weathered. I approached the base saucer, tested the weight with a firm push from both palms, and confirmed it would not shift. Gripping the curved rim, I pulled my frame upward, lodging my right boot firmly against the lip. Good elevation. The perimeter is wide open.