We often look back at our younger selves and wonder how we could have been so blind, so deaf, and so dumb to the obvious. It is easy to wish for today's maturity in yesterday's moments. If I had then what I know now, so many choices would have been a history now. I walked down paths I never should have set foot on, and conversely, I bypassed beautiful destinations—missing out on memories that could have warmed me today. Yet, I tell myself it happened for a reason. I survived, and I gained experience. But a stubborn question still lingers: Why did I miss out on the good things? Why did I lack the courage to stand up and choose differently? Sometimes I fantasize about sitting down with my past self to explain it all. I’d point out the map, show him the traps, and hand him the courage he lacked. But if I am completely honest, I know he wouldn't understand. I know myself too well. He had to be blind to eventually see; he had to be deaf to finally learn how to listen. We cannot ...