Okay, so, I had this really weird… I don’t even know what to call it. Like, a moment of cognitive dissonance, I guess? Or maybe just a total reality check? Anyway, I was walking past that community garden near the office, you know, the one with all the messy sunflowers and those weird kale plants that look like they're just doing their own thing, and I just kinda… froze. Not literally, but in my head. Because I saw this woman, probably in her fifties, all corporate chic, walking past it too, and for some reason, my brain just went, *oh my god, is that what I'm going to be?* And then it hit me, this feeling like… like I've completely abandoned something, you know? My parents, they have this organic farm. Not like, a big commercial operation, more like, really really intensely passionate hobbyists who sell at the farmer's market and talk about soil health like it’s a religion. And growing up, it was just… part of life. Picking blueberries, weeding, knowing exactly what ‘seasonal’ actually meant beyond a menu description. And I always just assumed I'd do *something* with that, or around it. I mean, I went to ag school for a year, thinking I'd do sustainable agriculture consulting or something, but then I got this internship, and it just spiraled into this whole corporate thing. Now I’m, like, Senior Brand Manager for a snack food company. I literally sell chips. And I’m good at it! I hit my targets, my last performance review was stellar, I’m on track for a promotion next quarter, which is GREAT, obviously, it’s what I’ve been working for. But then I see that garden, and I think of my parents, and I think of that woman, and it’s just this sudden, overwhelming sense of… what the hell am I doing? It’s like, everyone expects you to climb the ladder, right? To get the promotions, the bigger salary, the corner office (eventually). And I’m doing all of that. But I just can’t shake this feeling that I’ve… missed something. Or chosen the wrong path entirely. Like, is this what success looks like? Because sometimes, you know, it just feels so… hollow. And I don’t even know why. My life is *good*. I have a great apartment, I travel for work, I can buy fancy coffee without checking my bank balance. So why do I feel this weird pang of… regret? Or something even deeper than regret, like a fundamental miscalculation of my own desires. (Is that too dramatic? Probably.) I just… I don’t get it.