The Good Part

by Sophie Cousens

“It’s okay,” I tell her, “I don’t need to be anywhere else.” And even though there are a hundred things I could be doing, even though there is never enough time, right now, it’s true.

“Don’t listen to any snipes who tell you twenty-six is ‘too old’ for anything (and they will). Twenty-six is not too old for anything except starting a career in professional sports, and to be fair, Mhairi, that was never on the cards, darling. This sounds horribly therapy-speak, but act with intention. Make your friends on purpose. Learn things on purpose. Enjoy things on purpose. Work hard on purpose. Have adventures on purpose. You’re sort of hunter-gathering for Future You at the same time as reveling in the uncomplicated optimism and strong liver function of being twenty-six. Oh, and get your eyebrows threaded. Don’t worry that they’ll take too much off; they don’t.”