Ever since it rained that night, it has started to get colder, as if winter had arrived early.

I woke up from the cold very early in the morning and was thinking about getting up to brush my teeth and wash my face. I thought it was five-thirty, so I turned over, felt around for my phone, and opened it to check. My god, it was 2:10.

It seemed like it had been a long time since I last woke up in the middle of the night, but I was still a little happy. After all, I could sleep for a few more hours. I put down my phone, got up to turn off the fan, closed my eyes, and fell asleep again.

The second time I woke up, it was four o’clock. Great, I could still sleep for quite a while. The next time I woke up, it was after five. I couldn’t fall asleep again, so I waited for the alarm to go off.

After getting out of bed, I was truly chilled to the bone. The wind on the balcony was strong and even a little biting, and the water I washed my face with was ice-cold.

I thought of my second year of high school, when I used to get up at five in the morning to play basketball. The weather was much colder than it is now.

The difference was that back then, there were like-minded people around me, and there wouldn’t be only my shadow on the court.

Things are fine now, too. Getting up alone and eating breakfast alone doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. I no longer depend on the people around me, and I can do many things on my own.

Although what wakes me up every day is neither an alarm clock nor a dream, but the cold, that’s pretty good too.

If I turn getting up early into a good habit and keep it up for a long time, perhaps I’ll become more and more disciplined.

Today was interesting. The first thing so many people said when they ran into each other was, “It’s so cold.”

That’s pretty good. I’m looking forward to winter too—the last winter before I turn eighteen.