“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
~ Thomas Edison

If only I had known how badly Edison fudged the numbers in his aphorism, I could have lowered my sights and tried to find a career that did not demand more than I could give, even with years of quasimonastic dedication fueled by caffeine and adrenaline.  If only I had known to aim lower, I could have been happier.

Maybe so, but the hypothetical happier me would be a different person, with their own “if only” musings.  The actual me is emergent from countless choices and experiences, some good and some bad.  Those choices and experiences did not latch onto a separate soul, like remoras that ride on a shark’s skin.

– Gray button (upper left corner) reveals widgets, –
– above post (on phone) or beside it (on desktop). –