Rupa had made a rookie mistake, a mistake so common for women that it can unfortunately be considered a rite of passage into womanhood: trading the self-defined life for prescriptive balance. Rupa felt cheated out of the peaceful-yet-engaging, healthy, emotionally regulated lifestyle promised to her if she worked less, found a hobby, socialized more, ate well, and focused on “putting herself out there” romantically. It was a broken trade from the start; it always is.
