…What is in one’s life stays there until the end of one’s days.
—Harrison Salisbury===
Young people often try to pretend they’re other than they truly are; they’re pleased to be taken for natives in a strange place, or tourist at home. People try to change
their hair color, their body shape, or their voice—trying on identities, escaping from themselves.
It’s natural to play around with external signs of who we are. We all look for a style that will let us express who we want to be. But we’re indelibly marked by our genes and our upbringing. We’re made so that virtually nothing we’ve ever cared about is lost to us. Although we can choose our behavior, we can’t choose our antecedents.
We may rail against this in our youth, but by middle age, most of us will be glad for it. One secret of happiness is liking who we are. And that’s where our power to choose is important: since we can’t change who we are, we gracefully choose to be the best possible us.
I shall be grateful for this day, in which I can make the most of what I have.