8 years is a long time. I’m 35 now. The years are long, longer than you think. I started all of these things post breakup! Post breakup I really re-evaluated my life. For most of my 20s, I had put all my social eggs in romance and work. I would have probably been too shy to do therapy as someone would observe me. Too afraid to publish stuff online. Too afraid to rattle the in laws or whatever. I’d probably have a nice house, and own a couch & TV (which I don’t now) but would have way less time to dedicate to my creative pursuits. I wouldn’t have had to live with my parents during Covid but then I would never have restarted ballet lessons virtually or started creative writing to keep myself from going crazy. I would probably live in an owned home in an area I didn’t want to live, had been a spousal hire, but not be filing for unemployment. However, now I live in a rental where I want to live and really love and learned embroidery, joined local arts organizations, and been severa...