We humans are storytellers, but if the story in our head is “I am late, wrong, behind, broken.” That story quietly dictates every choice we make.
When we switch to a different internal script, “I am exactly where my next chapter begins” our brain relaxes. Shame eases. Curiosity finally has room to breathe. That change of story doesn’t erase real limits. It simply moves the spotlight from regret to agency. From “too late” to “from here.” And that’s where, according to her, the best stage of life sneaks in through the side door.
Charlie Brown once anchors the real reason. In the Peanuts special, the gang heads to their celebration while Charlie Brown stays behind to finish a report. The moment underscores a familiar truth: celebration fades, but time spent reading and writing often lasts longer.