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Blog #1- The Morning Routine

The day started with hand sanitizer. As all days start for Mr. Daniel E. Richards in apartment 1009E. He douses his hands in hand sanitizer, from fingertip to wrist. It is 7:30 and his doctor Angela will be at the apartment in an hour. She started helping Daniel with his agoraphobia for two years but has only managed to coax him to the lobby of the Maitland East building and no further. Mr. Richards hasn't left his building in four years, he works out of his home as an illustrator for children's books.

In the hour before Angela would arrive Daniel showered and got dressed, that takes him 15 minutes. Mr. Richards has cinnamon apple oatmeal and freshly squeezed orange juice every day while checking his email. 

He is no stranger to routine, but whenever he has an appointment with Angela there is always some uncertainty about what is going to happen next. She comes by every other Sunday. Angela is an abnormal psychologist, who helps Daniel function and get over his panic disorder. It took nine months of in-home sessions for him to fully trust Angela. His family suggesting seeing someone two years after the death of his fiancĂ©. 

When he finished breakfast Mr. Richards went into his study to work on a current piece for a book called, "All The Fish in The Sea," when he got lost in thought looking out the window. Through the dense storm, he could see a little remanence of the bright yellow caution tape still in the parking lot. A rush of anxiety and sweat hit Mr. Richards right in the forehead. He never knew Mr. Evans personally but it startled him just knowing that someone from the building had died. It was 7:55. 

Death has been a source of anxiety his whole life, and painting has always been his release. Being an artist gave Daniel the most joy he could find in his conventional life. A dream of his is to go to the nearest bookstore to watch the children read his books, but because of his anxiety, he hasn't visited the bookstore he hasn't even celebrated the holidays with his family in 4 years. He has never met his two nieces. 

That is why Mr. Richards accepted Angela's help. it's 8:35, she is five minutes late. 

Ding Dong Ding Dong...

This is when the real adventure begins for Mr. Richards.  

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