Nick Hornby quotes Oscar Wilde in “A Long Way Down”, saying one’s real life is often the life one does not lead, and the one you do lead does not let you be who you thought you were.
I commiserate. When I was eight, I was convinced that I would have my own condo and car by 24. It was only recently that I acknowledged I would probably never sing live at a concert in front of a thousand fans, and more recently than should have been that I would never be an accomplished ice-skater.
One body, 24 hours in a day, and only 100% to give.
I used to think of these as limitations but really, they are the default tools everyone gets to shape their life with, then fill it.
Ironically, knowing your boundaries is the only way to stretch them, the same way having a cup with finite capacity is the only way it can runneth over. And if you do it right, you might just be that kind of person for whom ex-ex colleagues still band together for a hearty send-off when you leave the country.
Child, sibling, friend, traveler, worker. That is all I am. And that is plenty.
