I resonate with a lot of this, and it’s really reassuring to hear that this is a common human experience. In particular, I’ve been choosing amongst job options lately, and I notice that I grieve for the choices I’ve passed over: I imagine the futures that could have been. For a while, I tried to ignore the pain—avoid confronting the fact that I could only choose one of a few possible futures—by prolonging the decision. And I found that, with time, I came to confront the true state of the world, and that at that point I had a better understanding of who I am and what matters to me.
Thank you!
I resonate with a lot of this, and it’s really reassuring to hear that this is a common human experience. In particular, I’ve been choosing amongst job options lately, and I notice that I grieve for the choices I’ve passed over: I imagine the futures that could have been. For a while, I tried to ignore the pain—avoid confronting the fact that I could only choose one of a few possible futures—by prolonging the decision. And I found that, with time, I came to confront the true state of the world, and that at that point I had a better understanding of who I am and what matters to me.
Great read!