We Have Linear Expectations, but Nonlinear Lives
Life when we see it simplified: born -> baby --> toddler --> entering school for 12 years --> get into college for 4 years --> work/study --> married --> having children --> work --> retired --> taking grandchildren to school --> die Up to college, I would say I had a very close-to-linear life. Not much uncertainty was going on. Then, years after that, I would say life was more challenging. The trajectory was no longer predictable. Had anxiety during graduate school. Failed a wedding I planned, yet found the right man only months after that. Happily married, then my parent had a heart attack and had to go through surgery. No children after years of marriage; it turned out I was diagnosed with PCOS. Worked hard, then a mass layoff happened, and tech winter came. It became hard to trust the industry. My parent had a stroke, but in the same year, I found out that I was pregnant. Had a hard time maintaining my sanity while taking care of a baby and keeping ...
